Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools MIX - 5.1.1 Reference Guide

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Pro Tools

Reference Guide

Version 5.3 for HD Systems on Macintosh or Windows

Version 5.1.1 for MIX or LE Systems on Macintosh or Windows

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This guide is copyrighted ©2002 by Digidesign, a division of Avid Technology, Inc. (hereafter “Digidesign”), with all rights reserved. Under copyright laws, this manual may not be duplicated in whole or in part without the written consent of Digidesign.

DIGIDESIGN, AVID and PRO TOOLS are trademarks or registered trademarks of Digidesign and/or Avid Technology, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

All features and specifications subject to change without notice.

PN 932709360-00 REV A 1/02

Contents

Part I Introduction

Chapter 1. Welcome to Pro Tools

The Pro Tools Guides

Compatibility Information

Digidesign Registration

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Chapter 2. Pro Tools System Configurations

TDM-Equipped Systems

Pro Tools LE Systems

Chapter 3. Pro Tools Concepts

Hard Disk Audio Recording

The Digidesign Audio Engine

Pro Tools Sessions

System Resources

MIDI Concepts

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Chapter 4. Pro Tools Windows

The Mix Window

The Edit Window

The Transport Window

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Chapter 5. Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Key Commands

Keyboard Focus

Numeric Keypad Modes

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Contents

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Part II Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 6. Sessions

Starting Up Your System

Configuring Your System

Configuring a Pro Tools|HD System

Configuring Other Pro Tools Systems

Creating a New Session

Opening a Session

Saving a Session

Creating Custom Session Templates

Closing a Session

Quitting Pro Tools

Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems

Chapter 7. I/O Setup

The I/O Setup Dialog

Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O

Creating and Editing Paths

I/O Settings Files

Default Output, Meter, Audition, and Default Path Order I/O Setup Options

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Chapter 8. Tracks

Track Types

Creating Tracks

Hiding Tracks

Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Audio Tracks (and Other Tracks)

Assigning Voices and Track Priority

Setting MIDI Input and Output

Soloing and Muting Tracks

Making Tracks Inactive

Adjusting Track Width

Color Coding Tracks

Grouping Tracks

Pro Tools Reference Guide

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Chapter 9. Importing and Exporting Audio and MIDI

Importing Audio

Importing Tracks from Other Sessions

Loading Audio Files with Drag & Drop

Exporting Audio

Transferring Audio from CD

Conversion Quality

Exporting Session Text

Importing MIDI Files

Exporting MIDI Files

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Chapter 10. File Management and Compatibility

Locating Audio Files

WAV File Compatibility

Avid File Compatibility

Creating Mac and PC Compatible Sessions

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Part III Recording

Chapter 11. Record Setup

Input Connections and Audio Levels

Record Enabling Tracks (Using the Record Enable Button)

Monitoring Modes

Monitoring Latency

Track Names

Disk Allocation

Allocating Hard Drive Space for Recording

Record Modes

Recording with the Click

Setting the Default Meter

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Chapter 12. Basic Audio Recording

Recording a Mono Audio Track

Recording a Stereo Audio Track

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Contents

Recording Multiple Audio Tracks

Record Pause Mode

Recording Additional Takes

Punch Recording Audio

Loop Recording Audio

Auditioning Record Takes

Setting Punch/Loop Points

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Chapter 13. MIDI Recording

Recording from MIDI Devices

Enabling Input Devices

MIDI Thru

MIDI Input Filter

Input Quantize

Wait for Note

MIDI Merge/Replace

Configuring MIDI Tracks for Recording

Recording to MIDI Tracks

Punch Recording MIDI

Loop Recording MIDI

Recording System Exclusive Data

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Chapter 14. Advanced Recording

QuickPunch Audio Recording

Recording from a Digital Source

Half-Speed Recording and Playback

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Part IV Editing

Chapter 15. Editing Basics

Pro Tools Editing

Track Material

Displaying Region Names and Times

Audio Regions and Waveforms

Pro Tools Reference Guide

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MIDI Regions and MIDI Data

Playlists

Multiple Undo

The Audio and MIDI Regions Lists

Edit Modes

Zooming

The Universe Window

Timebase Rulers

Main Time Scale

Tick-Based Timing

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Chapter 16. Playing and Selecting Track Material

Playing Tracks

Scrolling Options

The Scrubber

Separate Edit and Timeline Selections

Selecting Track Material

Playing Selections

Timeline Selections

Playing Edit and Timeline Selections with the Playhead

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Chapter 17. Working with Regions and Selections

Creating New Regions

Healing a Separation

Placing Regions in Tracks

The Trimmer Tool

Sliding Regions

Nudging

Shift Command

Quantizing Regions

Locking Regions

Muting/Unmuting Regions

Edit Commands

Duplicate Command

Repeat Command

Merge Paste Command

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213

Contents

vii

Editing Stereo and Multichannel Tracks

Processing Audio with AudioSuite Plug-Ins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

Waveform Repair with the Pencil Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236

The Smart Tool . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 234

Chapter 18. Advanced Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Replacing Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239

Repeat Paste To Fill Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

Compress/Expand Edit To Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241

The Time Trimmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242

Chapter 19. Fades and Crossfades. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Using Crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 245

Creating a Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

Creating Fades at the Beginnings and Ends of Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253

Using AutoFades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254

Creating Fades and Crossfades in Batches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 255

Chapter 20. Managing Regions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Stripping Silence from Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257

Inserting Silence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

Consolidate Selection Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Managing Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260

Compacting an Audio File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Chapter 21. Conductor Tracks and Memory Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Tempo Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265

Default Tempo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Identify Beat Command . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268

Meter Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271

Renumbering Bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273

Memory Locations and Markers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Memory Locations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Chapter 22. Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Beat Detective Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

Pro Tools Reference Guide

viii

About Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 283

The Beat Detective Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285

Defining the Selection for Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286

Detecting Transients with Beat Detective. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

Generating Bar|Beat Markers with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290

Separating and Conforming Regions with Beat Detective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291

Beat Detective and Collection Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294

Part V MIDI Editing

Chapter 23. MIDI Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Inserting MIDI Notes with the Pencil Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299

Manually Editing MIDI Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301

Continuous Controller Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305

Program Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

System Exclusive Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310

Note and Controller Chasing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

Offsetting MIDI Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312

Stuck Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Chapter 24. MIDI Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

MIDI Operations Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315

Select Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316

Quantize. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318

Change Velocity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322

Change Duration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324

Transpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326

Chapter 25. MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

The MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 327

Inserting Events in the MIDI Event List. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330

Editing in the MIDI Event List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

MIDI Event List Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334

Contents ix

Part VI Mixing

Chapter 26. Basic Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Audio Signal Flow. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Viewing I/O, Inserts, and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

Track Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342

Track Output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345

Output Windows for Tracks and Sends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Submixing for Signal Routing and Effects Processing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Mixing Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Using a Control Surface with Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358

Dither . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359

Chapter 27. Plug-In and Hardware Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

Inserting Plug-Ins on Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365

The Plug-In Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366

Hardware I/O Inserts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 370

Connecting and Integrating External Devices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371

Chapter 28. Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Automation Quick Start. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375

Automation Playlists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376

Automation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

Automation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 380

Viewing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383

Writing Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

Enabling and Suspending Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

Deleting Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388

Thinning Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389

Drawing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

Editing Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391

Writing Automation to the Start, End or All of a Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397

Trimming Automation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399

Creating Snapshot Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400

Pro Tools Reference Guidex

Chapter 29. Mixdown . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403

Recording to Tracks. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405

Bounce to Disk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406

Bounce Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 407

Recording a Submix (with Bounce To Disk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415

Final Mixdown (with Bounce To Disk) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

Mastering. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

Part VII Surround

Chapter 30. Surround Concepts. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Mixing Formats and Surround Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421

Pro Tools Mixing Formats. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

Speaker Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

Surround Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424

Formats and Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 425

Surround Mixing Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428

Chapter 31. Pro Tools Setup for Surround . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431

Pro Tools Audio Connections for 5.1 Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431

Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432

Default Selectors in I/O Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

5.1 Track Layouts, Routing, and Metering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436

Chapter 32. Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Multichannel QuickStart. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437

Multichannel Audio Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438

Multichannel Signal Routing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440

Paths in Surround Mixes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443

Example Paths and Signal Routing for a Surround Mix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445

Chapter 33. Surround Panning and Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Introduction to Pro Tools Surround Panning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449

Output Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

Contents xi

Standard Controls. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451

Surround Panner Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

Panning Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454

LFE Faders in Multichannel Panners. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456

Divergence and Center Percentage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457

SurroundScope Metering Plug-In . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459

Part VIII Synchronization

Chapter 34. Synchronization Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Synchronization Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Aspects of Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

Synchronizing Pro Tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463

SMPTE Frame Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

Working with Film-Originated Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467

Chapter 35. Time Code Synchronization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Pro Tools Synchronization Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

Session Setup Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474

Hardware Setup Window. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477

Preparing to Work with SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Configuring Pro Tools for SMPTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478

Putting Pro Tools Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Generating Time Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481

Synchronizing a Sequencer to Pro Tools on the Macintosh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482

Synchronizing a Sequencer to Pro Tools in Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484

Using MIDI Machine Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485

Remote Track Arming. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

Setting Minimum Sync Delay. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487

Synchronizing Pro Tools to an OMS-Compatible Sequencer Using MMC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

Spotting Regions to SMPTE Frame Locations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491

Time Stamping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494

Identifying a Synchronization Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495

Pro Tools Reference Guidexii

Troubleshooting Synchronization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496

Chapter 36. Working with QuickTime Movies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

About QuickTime. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499

QuickTime Requirements. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501

Movie Playback Quality Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501

Importing a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

Setting the Movie Start Time (Movie Offset) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504

Spotting Audio to a QuickTime Movie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505

Importing QuickTime Audio (and Other Compressed Video Files) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506

Bouncing to a New Movie. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

Appendix A. DSP-Induced Delays in Mixing (TDM Only). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

Delay Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 511

Compensating for Delays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 513

Appendix B. TDM Mixing and DSP Usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

Understand the Benefits of TDM II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 515

DSP Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 517

DSP Usage with TDM Mixers. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519

DSP Usage with TDM Plug-Ins. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 527

DSP Usage and I/O Allocation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 528

Appendix C. Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

Backing Up Your Work. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

Common Issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

Using DigiTest as a Diagnostic Tool. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530

Performance Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

Before You Call Digidesign Technical Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 531

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 533

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 541

Contents xiii

Pro Tools Reference Guidexiv

Part I: Introduction

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools

Welcome to Pro Tools®. Pro Tools integrates powerful multitrack digital audio and MIDI sequencing features, giving you everything you need to record, arrange, edit, mix, and master quality audio for music, video, ﬁlm, and multimedia.

The Pro Tools Guides

Your Pro Tools System includes the following guides:

Getting Started Guide Instructions for installing your Pro Tools system and connecting your studio.

Pro Tools Reference Guide Provides full details on all Pro Tools functionality and operations. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF ﬁle version of the Reference Guide.)

Pro Tools Menus Guide Electronic PDF guide to the Pro Tools on-screen menus.

DigiRack™ Plug-Ins Guide Instructions for using the DigiRack plug-ins (included with Pro Tools) for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF version of this guide.)

Pro Tools MIDI Control Surfaces Guide Electronic PDF guide that includes instructions for operating Pro Tools with various MIDI control surfaces.

Expanded Systems Guide (TDM Systems Only) Instructions for expanding a Pro Tools

TDM system with optional Digidesign cards, or an expansion chassis.

Pro Tools MachineControl Guide (TDM Systems Only) Instructions for using MachineControl

software for Pro Tools to enable serial communication with remote audio and video machines.

Keyboard Shortcut Cards Separate cards for Macintosh and Windows that list the many keyboard shortcuts not shown in the Pro Tools menus. (Pro Tools LE systems only include an electronic PDF version of the Keyboard Shortcut cards.)

Digidesign also provides guides with TDM audio interfaces, optional dedicated controllers (such as Control|24 and ProControl) and other Digidesign options, (such as SYNC I/O). Refer to the package shipped with your Digidesign product.

Digidesign Plug-Ins Guide Electronic PDF guide with instructions for using optional Digidesign plug-ins for both real-time and file-based audio processing in Pro Tools.

Chapter 1: Welcome to Pro Tools 3

Conventions Used in These Guides

Choose and Select

The Pro Tools guides use the following conventions to indicate menu choices and key commands:

Convention Action

File > Save Session Choose Save Session

from the File menu

Control+N Hold down the Control

key and press the N key

Option-click Hold down the Option key

and click the mouse button

Right-click (Windows) Click with the right

mouse button

The following symbols are used to highlight important information:

User Tips are helpful hints for getting the most from your Pro Tools system.

Important Notices include information that could affect your Pro Tools session data or the performance of your Pro Tools system.

The words “choose” and “select” are often interchangeable in conversational english. In this guide, however, there is a distinction between the two terms.

Select When the guide instructs you to select something, it stays selected. This is the case with dialog box options and menu items that enable or disable an option.

Choose When the guide instructs you to choose something, a one-time action is performed. This is the case with most menu commands; they perform their chosen action only once.

Compatibility Information

Digidesign can only assure compatibility and provide support for hardware and software it has tested and approved. For a list of Digidesignqualiﬁed computers, operating systems, and third-party devices, refer to the latest compatibility information on the Digidesign Web site:

www.digidesign.com/compato/

Shortcuts show you useful keyboard or mouse shortcuts.

Cross References point to related sections in the Pro Tools Guides.

Pro Tools Reference Guide4

Digidesign Registration

Please make sure to register! Registered users are entitled to up to one year of free technical support based on the product purchased. For more information please refer to your registration card, or visit the Digidesign Web site:

www.digidesign.com/support

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations

TDM-Equipped Systems

Pro Tools TDM-equipped systems are available in the following conﬁgurations. Each system requires at least one Digidesign audio interface (sold separately). TDM systems can be expanded by adding Digidesign cards to increase track count, add to the amount of possible plug-in and mixer processing, and connect additional audio interfaces.

Pro Tools system performance depends on factors such as computer processor speed, amount of system memory, and hard drive performance. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s Web site for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

HD-Series Systems

Pro Tools|HD 1

Includes:

• HD Core card

• Pro Tools software

Pro Tools|HD 2

Includes:

• HD Core card

• HD Process card

• Pro Tools software

Pro Tools|HD 3

Includes:

• HD Core card

• Two HD Process cards

• Pro Tools software

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations 5

MIX-Series Systems

Supported Audio Interfaces

Pro Tools|24 MIX

Includes:

• MIX Core card

• Pro Tools software

Pro Tools|24 MIXplus

Includes:

• MIX Core card

• MIX Farm card

• Pro Tools software

Pro Tools|MIX

Includes:

• MIX Core card

• Two Mix Farm cards

• Pro Tools software

Pro Tools|24

Includes:

• d24 Audio card

• DSP Farm card

• Pro Tools software

HD-Series Only

The following audio interfaces are compatible with Pro Tools HD-series systems:

◆ 192 I/O

◆ 96 I/O

HD-series systems require the use of at least one 192 I/O or 96 I/O.

HD-Series, MIX-Series and Pro Tools|24

The following audio interfaces work with different TDM systems, as noted.

Audio interfaces that work with HD-series systems require the use of at least one 192 I/O or 96 I/O.

The following Digidesign audio interfaces are supported with Pro Tools HD-series, Pro Tools MIX-series and Pro Tools|24 systems:

◆ 888|24 I/O and 882|20 I/O

◆ 1622 I/O

◆ 24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O or original ADAT

Bridge I/O

The original 888 I/O and 882 I/O audio interfaces work with Pro Tools MIX-series and Pro Tools|24 systems only.

Pro Tools Reference Guide6

TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits

The following table lists the audio playback, recording, and voiceable track limits of each type of Pro Tools TDM system. Playback and recording voices refer to the number of unique simultaneous playback and record tracks on your system. Total voiceable tracks (previously known as virtual voicing) refers to the maximum number of audio tracks that can share the available voices on your system. Voice limits are dependant on the session sample rate, and the number of DSP chips dedicated to the system’s Playback Engine. Pro Tools HD-series systems can open sessions with up to 256 audio tracks (and MIX-series systems can open sessions with up to 128 audio tracks), but any audio tracks beyond that system’s voiceable track limit will be automatically set to Voice Off.

All TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems provide a total of 64 internal mix busses. All TDM systems also provide 5 inserts and 5 sends per track, up to the DSP capacity of your system.

Table 1. Pro Tools HD-series, MIX-series and Pro Tools|24 system audio playback, recording and voice limits

Core System Type

Pro Tools|HD 1 44.1/48 96 96 112

Expanded Pro Tools|HD 1, Pro Tools|HD 2, Pro Tools|HD 3

Pro Tools|24 MIX 44.1/48 32, or 64 32, or 64 43, or 86

Pro Tools|24 MIXplus, Pro Tools|24 MIX

Pro Tools|24 44.1/48 32 32 43

Expanded Pro Tools|24 44.1/48 64 64 86

Sample Rate (kHz)

88.2/96 48 48 48

176.4/192 12 12 12

44.1/48 128 128 224

88.2/96 64 64 80

176.4/192 24 24 24

44.1/48 64 64 86

Voices (Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Playback)

Mono Tracks of Simultaneous Recording

Total Voiceable Tracks

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations 7

Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems

The following table lists the input and output capabilities of the various audio interfaces for TDMequipped Pro Tools systems. In expanded HD systems, audio interfaces can be combined for up to 96 audio inputs and outputs. In expanded MIX systems, audio interfaces can be combined for up to 72 audio inputs and outputs.

Table 2. Pro Tools TDM system audio interface channel capabilities

Interface Type

192 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2,

96 I/O 16 in/16 out 44.1, 48, 88.2, 9624-bit 24-bit 24-bit

888|24 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 24-bit 24-bit (or

882|20 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 20-bit 20-bit 24-bit

1622 I/O 16 in/2 out 44.1, 48 20-bit 24-bit 24-bit

24-bit ADAT Bridge I/O, ADAT Bridge I/O

888 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 18-bit (or

882 I/O 8 in/8 out 44.1, 48 16-bit 16-bit 24-bit

Number of I/O Channels

16 in/16 out 44.1, 48 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

Sample Rates (k Hz)

96, 176.4, 192

A/D Conversion

24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

older 16-bit)

D/A Conversion

older 20-bit)

18-bit 24-bit

Digi ToolBox XP

Pro Tools LE Systems

Pro Tools LE-based systems are available in the following configurations:

Digi 001

A Digi 001 system includes:

• Digi 001 PCI card

• Digi 001 I/O box

• Pro Tools LE software

A Digi ToolBox system includes:

• Audiomedia III card

• Pro Tools LE software

The total processing capacity of a Pro Tools LE-based system depends on the processing power of your computer. Contact your Digidesign dealer or visit Digidesign’s Web site for the latest system requirements and compatibility information.

Digital I/O

24-bit

Pro Tools Reference Guide8

Pro Tools LE System Capabilities

The following table lists the playback, recording, and input and output capabilities of each Pro Tools LE-based system. All Pro Tools LE systems are limited to 24 mono audio tracks. If you open a Pro Tools session created on a TDM system containing more than 24 mono audio tracks on an LEbased system, only the audio tracks assigned to the first 24 voices will open; if you save the session using Pro Tools LE, any audio tracks beyond the available 24 voices will be lost.

All Pro Tools LE systems provide a total of 16 internal mix busses. Pro Tools LE also provides up to 5 inserts and 5 sends per track, depending on your computer’s processing capacity.

Table 3. Pro Tools LE system audio playback, recording, and channel capabilities

Mono Tracks of

System Type

Digi 001 24 up to 18 in/18 out 24-bit 24-bit 24-bit

Audiomedia III 24 up to 4 in/4 out 18-bit 18-bit 24-bit

Simultaneous Playback

Number of Simultaneous Recording Channels

A/D Conversion

D/A Conversion

Digital I/O

For details on transferring session material between Pro Tools LE and Pro Tools TDM systems, see “Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems” on page 50.

Chapter 2: Pro Tools System Conﬁgurations 9

Pro Tools Reference Guide10

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts

Pro Tools is based on simple concepts which are easy to grasp. Many of them you may already be familiar with. This chapter explains the principals and concepts that form the foundation of Pro Tools operation and functionality.

Hard Disk Audio Recording

Tape-based recording is a linear medium—you need to rewind or fast forward a tape to hear a particular spot in a recording. To rearrange or repeat material in a linear system, you need to rerecord it.

Hard disk recording is a non-linear (or random access) medium—you can go immediately to any spot in a recording without having to rewind or fast forward.

Non-linear systems have several advantages. You can easily rearrange or repeat parts of a recording by making the hard disk read parts of the recording in a different order and/or multiple times. In addition, this re-arrangement is non-destructive, meaning that the original recorded material is not altered.

The Digidesign Audio Engine

When you start Pro Tools, the Digidesign Audio Engine, called DAE, automatically launches in the background. DAE is Digidesign’s real-time operating system for digital recording systems. When you install Pro Tools, DAE is automatically installed on your system (and can be accessed from within Pro Tools).

In the same way that a computer’s operating system provides the foundation for programs that run on the computer, DAE provides much of the hard disk recording, digital signal processing, mix automation, and MIDI functionality required by Pro Tools and other products from Digidesign and its Development Partners.

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory allocated within DAE to manage disk buffers, which affects system performance. For more information, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 37. The DAE Playback Buffer Size can be changed in the Playback Engine Dialog, discussed below.

Pro Tools is a non-linear recording system that lets you rearrange and mix recorded material non-destructively.

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 11

Playback Engine Dialog

Pro Tools takes advantage of your computer’s host processor for certain tasks and optional host-based DSP processing.

Pro Tools LE uses host (CPU) processing to provide audio track recording, playback, mixing, and effects processing. Pro Tools TDM can also use host processing to run RTAS plug-ins for effects processing. Performance is determined by your system and its Playback Engine settings.

Pro Tools Sessions

When you start a project in Pro Tools, you create a session. Some basic elements of sessions are explained in this section.

Session File

The Playback Engine dialog lets you set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of CPU resources for these tasks. For more information, see “Conﬁguring Your System” on page 35.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools TDM system

The Playback Engine dialog is also where you select the number of voices (and voiceable tracks) for your system and its sessions. Voice count choices in the dialog are based on how much DSP processing you wish to allocate for voicing. For more information, see “Conﬁguring Your System” on page 35.

See also “System Resources” on page 16.

Pro Tools session ﬁle icon

A session ﬁle is the document that Pro Tools cre- ates when you start a new project. The session file contains maps of all elements associated with a project, including audio files, MIDI data, and all your edit and mix information. You can make changes to a session and save those changes in a new session file. This lets you create multiple versions of a project or back up your editing and mixing work.

Audio File

When you record audio into a Pro Tools session, audio files are created.

Audio ﬁle icon

Audio files for each session are stored in a folder named “Audio Files.” Audio files are listed in the Audio Regions List and can appear in a track. A section of an audio file can be defined as a region. See “Regions (or Loops)” on page 13.

Pro Tools Reference Guide12

Tracks

Pro Tools tracks are where audio, MIDI, and automation data are recorded and edited.

Audio tracks in the Edit window

MIDI track in the Edit window

Audio and MIDI tracks can be edited into regions or repeated in different locations, to create loops, re-arrange sections or entire songs, or to assemble tracks using material from multiple takes.

Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or any supported multichannel format (depending on your type of Pro Tools system). When creating a new audio track, you can choose from a list of formats supported by your system.

Regions (or Loops)

Playlist

Playlist Selector pop-up menu

A playlist is a group of regions arranged on an audio or MIDI track. Tracks have edit playlists and automation playlists.

You can create any number of edit playlists for a track. This lets you assemble different versions of performances or edits on a single audio or MIDI track and choose among them with a popup menu on the track.

On audio tracks, an edit playlist tells the hard disk which audio files to read in what order. For example, you can use the same audio region to access the same piece of audio multiple times at different locations and not use additional disk space. If desired, different versions of the same original audio can be created to modify the length, fade-in, fade-out, and effects applied.

A playlist can be made up of a single region or many separate regions. It can be made up of similar elements, such as regions from several different takes of a solo, or dissimilar elements, such as several sound effects.

Audio region

A region (or loop) is a piece of audio or MIDI data that may have associated automation data. A region could be a loop, a guitar riff, a verse of a song, a sound effect, a piece of dialog, or an entire sound file. In Pro Tools, regions are created from audio or MIDI files, and can be arranged in audio and MIDI track playlists.

Each track has a single set of automation playlists, according to the type of track and any send or plug-in assignments.

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 13

Figure 1. Rear view of 192 I/O, 16 channels of input and output

Channel

The term channel is used to describe several related components of a Pro Tools system. The first example of channel refers to a physical input or output of your Pro Tools system.

For example, a 192 I/O audio interface (Figure 1) provides up to 16 channels of input and output to an HD-series TDM-equipped system. An 888|24 I/O audio interface provides eight channels of analog input and output to a TDMequipped system.

The second use of the term channel refers to a mixer strip in the Pro Tools Mix window. The term channel strip refers to the mixer strip of any track (audio or MIDI track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader) in a session.

Audio and MIDI channel strips have similar controls, but those controls have slightly different effects. For example, audio and Auxiliary Input channel strip faders control the Pro Tools mixer, while MIDI channel strip faders send MIDI volume data (MIDI controller 7).

The term channel also describes a separate aspect of MIDI operation. See “MIDI Concepts” on page 18.

Channel strip in the Mix window

Pro Tools Reference Guide14

Signal Routing

Signal routing options include the following:

Pro Tools provides software-based mixing and signal routing controls. The Mix window is where these controls are located. (Some of these controls can also be accessed from the Edit window, if desired.)

Signal Routing Example

A common signal routing task is to submix multiple tracks to a single channel strip for shared processing and level control. The following example shows three audio tracks submixed to a stereo Auxiliary Input.

Stereo plug-in

Input from

Outputs to Stereo Bus path

Stereo Bus path

Output to Stereo Output path

Track I/O Controls The most basic type of signal routing is track input and output. A track needs to have an assigned input path to record audio, and an assigned output path in order to be audible through a hardware output. Signals can also be routed to or from other tracks in Pro Tools (or hardware inputs and outputs) using internal busses.

Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders Auxiliary Inputs are tracks that can be used as returns, submixers and bus masters. Master Faders are used as bus and output master level controls. Both Auxiliary Inputs and Master Faders can have inserts or plug-ins.

Sends Sends route audio to internal busses to send to other tracks in Pro Tools, or to hardware outputs.

Plug-Ins and Inserts Software plug-ins and hardware inserts process the audio on their associated track. Plug-in processing occurs completely within Pro Tools. Hardware inserts utilize audio interface inputs and outputs, for traditional insert routing to (and from) external effects and other devices.

Audio Tracks

Submixing to an Auxiliary Input

Auxiliary Input

Paths Pro Tools lets you define a group of multiple inputs, outputs, or busses that have a single name and (channel) format. These groups comprise the lists of available routing choices in track I/O Selectors and other menus. Paths can be very useful for assigning stereo and multichannel I/O routing or sub-paths within a path. See Chapter 7, “I/O Setup” for more information.

Mixing Formats Sessions can include combinations of mono, stereo, and multichannel format tracks, busses, inputs, outputs, and inserts. (Multichannel formats are supported on Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series only.)

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 15

System Resources

Track count, plug-in processing, signal path and routing options, and voice availability are ultimately limited by the combined resources available from the host computer, and from your Pro Tools hardware.

Pro Tools provides several ways to manage and conserve resources to maximize the performance of your system. As you begin working with Pro Tools sessions and tracks, you can take advantage of the following features to extend the effectiveness of your available DSP and other resources:

◆ System usage settings (such as CPU Usage and

H/W Buffer Size) let you balance the distribution of work between your computer and any Digidesign audio hardware. See “Configuring Your System” on page 35.

◆ Active and inactive switching lets you selec-

tively toggle items (such as tracks and inserts) between active (on) and inactive (off). This lets you precisely allocate DSP and other resources when developing playlists, tracks, and mixes. See “Active and Inactive Items” on page 16.

◆ TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems provide

ﬂexible voice options for disk tracks. For more information on voice management and options, see “Voiceable Tracks and Track Priority” on page 87.

Active and Inactive Items

Pro Tools lets you set certain items (such as audio tracks) as inactive, in order to free up DSP resources and mixer connections.

Items in Pro Tools that can be made inactive (or active) include the following.

◆ Audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master

Faders (TDM systems only)

◆ Track Inputs and Outputs

◆ Sends

◆ Side-chain inputs

◆ Plug-ins

◆ Hardware Inserts

◆ Paths (session-wide)

MIDI tracks cannot be made inactive.

In addition to manually setting Active and Inactive modes, Pro Tools will automatically make items inactive if there are insufficient or unavailable resources.

When active, items are fully engaged and operational.

When inactive, items are silent and off. Different inactive items affect available system resources in specific ways, as follows:

Plug-Ins When a plug-in is inactive on a track, its DSP is made available for other plug-ins and processing. Plug-in assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 17).

Paths and Path Assignments When a path or path assignment is inactive, its mixer resources are made available for other signal routing purposes in the session. Paths and assignments can be made inactive manually, or automatically (see “Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode” on page 17).

Pro Tools Reference Guide16

Tracks (TDM systems only) When a track is inactive, its voice is made available for another track. Additionally, when an audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader is made inactive, its plug-ins, inserts, sends, and I/O assignments become inactive.

Display of Inactive Items

When items are inactive, their names appear in italics, and their background becomes dark grey. When a track is inactive (TDM systems only), the entire channel strip darkens.

Active Inactive plug-in

Automatically Inactive Items

When opening a session, it is possible that not all signal paths, plug-ins, or audio interfaces used in the session will be available as defined on the current system. Whenever this occurs, the session will open as it was last saved. All items that are unavailable, or cannot be loaded due to insufficient resources, are made inactive.

Manual Inactive Switching

You can manually apply Active or Inactive modes to manage system resources. By making an item inactive, its associated resources are made available elsewhere in the session.

Inactive track

Active and inactive items and tracks

Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode

Active and Inactive modes are powerful options for session transfer, and system resource management. Pro Tools provides automatic and manual Inactive mode switching. You can manually make items inactive (or active) to selectively manage system resources while editing and mixing.

The following are basic instructions for manually making items inactive. Throughout the Pro Tools Reference Guide, instructions are provided whenever an item can be made inactive.

To toggle an item active or inactive:

■ Command-Control-click (Macintosh) or Con-

trol-Start-click (Windows) the item.

You can apply Active or Inactive modes to all or all selected tracks using standard Pro Tools modifiers (Option and Option+Shift on the Macintosh, Alt and Alt+Shift in Windows). Side-chain inputs support direct active and inactive switching, but do not follow switching all or all selected.

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 17

MIDI Concepts

MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) is a communication protocol for musical instruments. This industry standard enables connections between a variety of devices from different manufacturers. Examples of MIDI-compatible equipment include synthesizers, sound modules, drum machines, patch bays, effects processors, MIDI interfaces, and sequencers.

MIDI devices are equipped with 5-pin DIN connectors, labeled as either IN, OUT, or THRU.

The MIDI OUT port transmits messages; the MIDI IN port receives messages; and, MIDI THRU echoes whatever is received from the IN port. MIDI devices are connected with MIDI cables that are available at most music stores.

echoed from IN

MIDI Terms

The following are some basic MIDI terms:

MIDI Interface Hardware that lets computers connect to and communicate with MIDI devices.

MIDI Device Any keyboard, sound module, effects device or other equipment that can send or receive MIDI information.

MIDI Controller Any MIDI device that transmits MIDI performance data. These include keyboards, MIDI guitar controllers, MIDI wind instruments, and others. Controllers transmit MIDI from their MIDI OUT ports.

MIDI Control Surface Any device, such as the Mackie HUI, that uses a MIDI connection to send control messages to a software program, but is not generally used to record MIDI information.

MIDI Sound Source Any MIDI instrument capable of playing back MIDI-triggered sound. Sound sources receive MIDI from their MIDI IN ports.

MIDI signal ﬂow

Not all devices will have all three MIDI ports (IN, OUT and THRU).

A single MIDI cable can transmit a separate set of messages for each of the 16 channels. These 16 channels correspond to separate MIDI devices or to multiple channels within a single device (if the device is multi-timbral). Each channel represents a discreet instrument sound; for instance, bass on channel 1, piano on channel 2 and drums on channel 10. Similar to a multitrack tape recorder, a MIDI sequencer can record complex arrangements—even using a single multi-timbral keyboard.

Pro Tools Reference Guide18

Multi-Timbral The capability of playing several different instrument sounds (such as piano, bass, and drums) simultaneously on separate channels. This makes it possible for a single MIDI sound source to play back entire arrangements.

MIDI Channel Up to 16 channels of MIDI performance data can be transmitted on a single MIDI cable. The channel number separates the different messages so your sound sources can receive the right ones.

Program Change Event A MIDI command that tells a sound source which of its sounds (or sound patches) to use. The MIDI protocol lets you choose from a range of 128 patches.

Bank Select Message Many devices have more than 128 patches, which are arranged in banks. The Bank Select Message is a MIDI command that specifies the bank of patches from which to choose.

However, to actually hear that second device (sound source) you’ll need to connect its audio outputs to a sound system. Your MIDI instruments have two signal paths, one for audio and another for MIDI.

Local Control A controller setting found on most MIDI keyboards that lets them play their own sound source. Disabling “local control” ensures that a device’s internal sound source is only played by external MIDI messages.

When using Pro Tools, “local control” should usually be disabled. When “local control” is off, your keyboard still transmits data to its MIDI OUT port.

Continuous Controller Events MIDI instructions that allow real-time changes to notes that are currently sounding. These include pitch bend, modulation, volume, pan, and many others.

System Exclusive Data MIDI data commonly used for sending and retrieving patch parameter information for storage purposes.

Common Misconceptions about MIDI

MIDI is not audio. The messages that travel down a MIDI cable are only numbers that translate to specific instructions. For instance, when you strike a key on your MIDI keyboard it sends a message to its MIDI OUT port telling another device (if connected and set to the same MIDI channel) to play that particular note.

MIDI does not allow you to use your devices beyond their capabilities. Particular instruments have their own sound generation, polyphony, and multi-timbral limitations.

Signal paths for MIDI instruments

Chapter 3: Pro Tools Concepts 19

Pro Tools Reference Guide20

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows

Pro Tools provides two complementary ways of viewing a session: the Mix window and the Edit window. Pro Tools also allows you to control the transport and transport-related function from the Transport window.

For more information on the main elements of the Mix window and Edit window, see the page references provided in Figure 2 on page 22, and Figure 3 on page 23.

The Edit Window

The Edit window provides a timeline display of audio, as well as MIDI data and mixer automation for recording, editing and arranging tracks. As in the Mix window, each track has controls for record enable, solo, mute and automation mode.

Systems with the Pro Tools AVoption installed also provide a timeline display of movie tracks.

The Mix Window

In the Mix window, tracks appear as mixer strips (or channel strips), with controls for inserts, sends, input and output assignments, volume, panning, record-enable, automation mode, and solo/mute. The following section explains each of these track controls.

To display the Pro Tools input/output controls, inserts, sends, and comments, select Display > Mix Window Shows > All.

To toggle between the Mix and Edit windows: On Macintosh, press Command, followed by Equal (=); on Windows, press Control+Equal (=).

To display the input/output controls, inserts, sends, and comments in the Edit window, select Display > Edit Window Shows > All. You can choose to display all of these items, or some of them.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 21

Send with

Send Controls

(page 345)

MIDI Track Program button (page 308)

Plug-In Insert (page 361)

Show/Hide

Tracks List

(page 82)

Automation

(page 377)

Output window

button

(page 344)

Group ID Indicator

Mix Groups

List

(page 92)

AutoMatch

Indicator

(page 382)

Track Name (page 81)

Track

Comments

View

(page 80)

Stereo

Audio Track

(page 77)

Mono

Audio Track

(page 77)

Auxiliary

Input

(page 77)

Inserts

View

(page 79)

Sends

View

(page 346)

I/O View (page 79)

Track

Controls

(page 24)

Channel Pan (page 79)

Channel

Volume

(page 80)

Level Meter

(page 80)

MIDI

Track

(page 77)

Master

Fader

(page 77)

Figure 2. Pro Tools Mix window

Pro Tools Reference Guide22

Link Selections

(page 199)

Commands Focus (page 30)

Tab to Transients

(page 207)

Rulers (page 189)

Show/Hide

Tracks List

(page 82)

Audio Track (page 77)

MIDI Track (page 77)

Edit Groups

List

(page 92)

Edit Mode buttons (page 185)

Zoom buttons (page 186)

Edit tools (page 24)

Event Edit Area (page 24)

Location Indicators (page 24)

Grid and Nudge Values (page 24)

Audio

Regions

List

(page 181)

Audio

Waveform

View

(page 170)

Volume

Automation

View

(page 170)

MIDI Velocity View (page 170)

Figure 3. Pro Tools Edit window

Selected Region (page 200)

MIDI Notes View (page 170)

MIDI Regions List (page 181)

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 23

Track Controls

Event Edit Area

Record Enable button (page 118)

Automation Mode Selector (page 377)

Voice Selector (page 86)

Mute button (page 89)

Solo button (page 89)

Mix window, controls for audio and MIDI tracks (wide view)

Record Enable button (page 118)

Track Name (page 81)

Playlist Selector (page 178)

Automation Mode Selector (page 377)

Mute button (page 89)

Voice Selector (page 86)

Track Height Selector (page 172)

Track View Selector (page 170)

Solo button (page 89)

Edit window track controls (medium track height)

Edit Tools

Trimmer

(page 218)

Selector

(page 193)

Grabber

(page 201)

Scrubber (page 196)

The Event Edit Area provides time, pitch, and other information for the currently selected audio or MIDI data. It also lets you define selections via key entry.

The Start, End, and Length display can be set for a different Time Scale format (such as Bars:Beats, or Minutes:Seconds, and so on). For more information, see “Main Time Scale” on page 190.

Selection Indicators (page 25)

Note

Attributes

(page 304)

Pitch

Attack Velocity

Release Velocity

Event Edit Area showing MIDI track information

Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display

The Location Indicators, Grid and Nudge values, and timeline Cursor Location display provide navigation and editing options.

The Main and Sub display can be set for a different Time Scale format (such as Bars:Beats, or Minutes:Seconds, and so on). For more information, see “Main Time Scale” on page 190.

Location Indicators (page 194)

Nudge Value

(page 225)

Grid Value

(page 224)

Zoomer

(page 186)

Smart Tool (page 237)

Edit tools in Edit window

Pro Tools Reference Guide24

Pencil

(page 236)

Cursor Location

(page 193)

Cursor Value

(page 193)

Edit window display showing MIDI track information

The Transport Window

The Transport window can be set to show basic transport controls, counters, and MIDI controls. The counters in the Transport window mirror the Location Indicators at the top of the Edit window.

Basic Transport Controls and Counters

Return to Zero

Rewind

Online

Pre-Roll

Post-Roll

Transport Master

Transport window showing basic transport controls and counters

Online Puts Pro Tools online so that playback and recording is triggered by an external time code source.

Return to Zero Locates to the beginning of the session.

Fast Forward

Play

Stop

Start, End, and Length

for Timeline Selection

Go to End

Record

Rewind Rewinds from the current play location. You can also click repeatedly to rewind incrementally, by an amount based on the Main Time Scale, as follows:

Rewind Increments

Main Time Scale Format

Min:Sec 1 second

Time code 1 frame

Bars:Beats 1 bar

Feet.Frame 1 foot

Sample 1 second

Increment Amount

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to

Transport, you can rewind by pressing 1.

Stop Stops playback or recording.

You can also stop the Transport with the following shortcuts:

• Press the Spacebar.

• With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, press 0.

Play Starts playback or (if the Record button was clicked first) recording from the Timeline insertion point.

You can press Return (Macintosh) or Enter on the alpha keyboard (Windows) to locate to the beginning of the session.

With the Transport stopped, Control-click Play (Macintosh) or Right-click Play (Windows) to toggle Loop Playback mode. When enabled, a loop symbol appears in the Play button.

You can also initiate playback with the following shortcuts:

• Press the Spacebar.

• With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, press 0.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 25

You can play at half-speed with the following shortcuts:

• Command-click (Macintosh) or Control-click (Windows) the Play button.

• Press Shift+Spacebar.

Fast Forward Fast forwards from the Timeline insertion point. You can also click repeatedly to fast forward incrementally (by an amount based on the Main Time Scale).

Fast Forward Increments

Main Time Scale Format

Min:Sec 1 second

Time code 1 frame

Bars:Beats 1 bar

Feet.Frame 1 foot

Sample 1 second

Increment Amount

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can fast forward by pressing

Go to End Locates to the end of the session.

You can press Option+Return (Macintosh) or Control+Enter on the alpha keyboard (Windows) to locate to the end of the session.

Record Arms Pro Tools for recording (the button flashes). Clicking Play then initiates recording.

With the Transport stopped, Control-click Record (Macintosh) or Right-click Record (Windows) to cycle through the four record modes. The Record button changes to indicate the currently selected mode: blank for Non-destructive, “D” for Destructive, a loop symbol for Loop Record, and “P” for QuickPunch.

You can also begin recording with the following shortcuts:

• Press F12.

• Press Command+Spacebar (Macintosh) or Control+Spacebar (Windows).

• With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, press 3.

To initiate recording at half-speed, press Command+Shift+Spacebar (Macintosh) or Control+Shift+Spacebar (Windows).

Pre-Roll During playback or record, specifies the amount that plays before the play (timeline) cursor location or beginning of the timeline selection. Pre-roll is particularly useful in punch recording since it provides you with time to “catch the beat” before reaching the punch-in point. To set the pre-roll amount, enter a new value in this field, or drag the Pre-Roll flag in the Main Timebase Ruler.

To enable pre-roll, click the Pre-Roll button to the left of the pre-roll field so it becomes highlighted.

Post-Roll During playback or record, specifies the amount that plays after the end of a timeline selection. Post-roll is useful in punch recording since playback continues after the punch-out point so you can check for a smooth transition to previously recorded material. To set the postroll amount, enter a new value in this field, or drag the Post-Roll flag in the Main Timebase Ruler.

To enable post-roll, click the Post-Roll button to the left of the post-roll field so it becomes highlighted.

Pro Tools Reference Guide26

Start Specifies the beginning of the play or record range. You can set the start point by entering a location in this field, or by dragging the corresponding Playback Marker in the Main Timebase Ruler. For more information, see “Playback Markers” on page 144.

Wait for Note When selected, recording does not begin until a MIDI event is received. This ensures that you begin recording when you’re ready to play, and that the ﬁrst note, or other MIDI data, is recorded precisely at the beginning of the record range.

End Specifies the end of the play or record range. You can set the end point by entering a location in this field, or by dragging the corresponding Playback Marker in the Main Timebase Ruler. For more information, see “Playback Markers” on page 144.

Length Specifies the length for the play or record range. You can set the length by entering a location in this field, or by selecting a range in any Timebase Ruler.

When the Edit and Timeline selections are linked, you can drag in a track’s playlist to set the play and record range.

Transport Master Specifies the “master” for transport functions. Click this button and choose from the pop-up menu to select the Transport Master, which can be set to Pro Tools, Machine, MMC, and Remote. For information, see Chapter 35, “Time Code Synchronization.”

MIDI Controls

Wait for Note

Countoff

Click

MIDI Merge

You can press F11 to turn on Wait for Note, unless the Operation Preference for “Disable F11 for Wait for Note” is selected.

Click When selected, a metronome sounds during playback and recording (as specified by the settings in the Click/Countoff Options dialog).

Double-click the Click button to open the Click/Countoff Options dialog.

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can press 7 to enable the Click.

Countoff When selected, Pro Tools counts off a specified number of measures (indicated in the button) before playback or recording begins.

Double-click the Countoff button, to open the Click/Countoff Options dialog.

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can press 8 to enable the Countoff.

MIDI Merge When selected (Merge mode), recorded MIDI data is merged with existing track material. When deselected (Replace mode), recorded MIDI data replaces existing track material.

Meter

Conductor

Transport window showing MIDI controls

Tempo

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can press 9 to enable MIDI Merge.

Chapter 4: Pro Tools Windows 27

Conductor When selected, Pro Tools uses the tempo map defined in the Tempo Ruler. When deselected, Pro Tools switches to Manual Tempo mode and ignores the Tempo Track.

In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM value in the tempo field, or tap in the tempo by clicking the Tap button.

Meter Displays the session’s current meter based on the play location. Double-click the Meter button to open the Change Meter window.

Tempo Displays the session’s current tempo based on the play location. In Manual Tempo mode, you can enter a BPM value into this field. In addition, when the tempo field is selected, you can tap in a tempo from a MIDI controller.

Pro Tools Reference Guide28

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts

Global Key Commands

This section shows keyboard shortcuts that apply to many functions in Pro Tools.

Track Functions

• Changing Automation mode

• Enabling playlists

• Adding plug-ins

• Record enabling, soloing, and muting tracks

• Record saﬁng and solo saﬁng tracks

• Assigning inputs, outputs, and sends

• Toggling volume/peak/delay display

• Clearing meters

• Changing track heights

Command Macintosh Windows

Apply action to all channel strips/tracks

Option+ action

Alt+ action

List and Parameter Selection

• Selection of tracks in Show/Hide List

• Enabling of groups in Groups List

• Automation Enable window parameters

• Setting memory location parameters

Command Macintosh Windows

Toggle item and set all others to same new state

Toggle item and set all others to opposite state

Option-click item

Commandclick item

Alt-click item

Control-click item

Controls and Editing Tools

◆ Use to move plug-in controls, faders and slid-

ers, the Scrubber, and automation data

Command Macintosh Windows

Fine adjustment of sliders, knobs, and breakpoints

Commandclick item

Controlclick item

Apply action to selected channel strips/tracks

Option+ Shift+ action

Alt+ Shift+ action

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts 29

Keyboard Focus

The Keyboard Focus in Pro Tools determines how the alpha keys function. Depending on which Keyboard Focus is enabled, you can use the keys on your alpha keyboard to select regions in the Audio or MIDI Regions List, enable or disable groups, or perform an edit or play command (TDM systems only).

Audio Regions List

Key Focus

Commands Focus (TDM Systems Only) When selected, this provides a wide range of single key shortcuts from the alpha keyboard for editing and playing.

With the Commands Focus disabled, you can still access any of its key shortcuts by pressing Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows) along with the key.

An electronic PDF listing of keyboard shortcuts is available in Pro Tools. Choose Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Commands

Key Focus

Groups List

Key Focus

MIDI Regions List

Key Focus

Keyboard Focus buttons

You can only enable one Keyboard Focus at a time. Enabling a Keyboard Focus will disable the one previously selected.

To set the Keyboard Focus:

■ Click the a–z button for the focus you want to

enable.

– or –

While pressing Command+Option (Macintosh) or Control+Alt (Windows), press one of the following keys: 1 (Commands), 2 (Audio Regions List), 3 (MIDI Regions List), or 4 (Groups List).

Audio Regions Focus When selected, audio regions can be located and selected in the Audio Regions List by typing the first few letters of the region’s name.

MIDI Regions Focus When selected, MIDI regions can be located and selected in the MIDI Regions List by typing the first few letters of the region’s name.

Groups List Focus When selected, Edit and Mix Groups can be enabled or disabled by typing the Group ID letter.

Refer to the Keyboard Shortcut Card that came with your Pro Tools package (TDM systems only) for a list of keyboard shortcuts. This card is also available in PDF format in Pro Tools by choosing Help > Keyboard Shortcuts.

Pro Tools Reference Guide30

Numeric Keypad Modes

The Operation preference for Numeric Keypad Mode determines how the numeric keypad functions for Transport.

No matter which Numeric Keypad Mode is selected, you can always use the numeric keypad to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area, Location Indicators, and Transport fields.

To set the Numeric Keypad Mode:

1 Choose Setups > Preferences and click Opera-

tion.

2 Under the option for Numeric Keypad Mode,

select a keypad mode (Classic, Transport, or Shuttle), then click Done.

Transport

This mode allows you to set a number of record and play functions, and also operate the Transport from the numeric keypad.

Function Key

Click on/off 7

Countoff on/off 8

MIDI Merge/Replace mode 9

Loop Playback mode on/off 4

Loop Record mode on/off 5

QuickPunch mode on/off 6

Rewind 1

Fast Forward 2

Classic

This mode emulates the way Pro Tools worked in versions earlier than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Classic, you can:

• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds. Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.

• Recall Memory Locations by typing the Memory Location number, followed by a period.

Record 3

Play/Stop 0

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can also:

• Play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds. Press Plus or Minus to reverse direction.

• Recall Memory Locations by typing period, the Memory Location number, and period again.

Chapter 5: Keyboard Shortcuts 31

Shuttle

(TDM Systems Only)

Pro Tools offers another form of shuttling, different from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Shuttle, playback of the current Edit selection is triggered by pressing and holding the keys on the numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys are released. Various playback speeds are available in both forward and reverse. In this mode, pre- and postroll are ignored.

Function Key

1x Forward 6

1x Rewind 4

4x Forward 9

4x Rewind 7

1/4x Forward 3

1/4x Rewind 1

1/2x Forward 5+6

1/2x Rewind 5+4

2x Forward 8+9

2x Rewind 8+7

1/16x Forward 2+3

1/16x Rewind 2+1

Loop Selection (1x) 0

With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Shuttle, you can also:

• Recall Memory Locations by typing period, the Memory Location number, and period again.

Shuttle Lock mode is not available when the Numeric Keypad Mode is set to Shuttle.

Pro Tools Reference Guide32

Part II: Sessions & Tracks

Chapter 6: Sessions

This chapter covers some of the basics of starting a project in Pro Tools, including how to set up and save a Pro Tools session.

Starting Up Your System

In order for the components of your Pro Tools system to communicate properly with each other, you need to start them up in a specific order.

Start your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 Make sure all your equipment (including your

CPU) is off.

2 For TDM systems with an expansion chassis,

turn on the expansion chassis.

3 Turn on external hard drives, if any. Wait ap-

proximately ten seconds for them to spin up to speed.

4 Lower the volume of all output devices, then

turn on your Pro Tools audio interfaces.

If you launch Pro Tools without turning on your audio interfaces, you will be prompted to turn them on. Allow fifteen seconds for audio interfaces to power-up and the status LEDs to stop blinking and stay lit, before clicking OK.

7 Turn on your computer.

For LE systems on Macintosh, if the Digi 001 is configured as a MIDI interface, make sure to launch Pro Tools before launching other MIDI applications, such as OMS Setup, and SampleCell Editor.

Once you have quit Pro Tools, shut down your Pro Tools system in this order:

1 Turn off your computer.

2 For TDM systems, turn off audio interfaces.

3 For TDM systems with an expansion chassis,

turn off the expansion chassis.

4 Turn off any MIDI interfaces and devices.

5 Turn off external hard drives.

5 Turn on any MIDI interfaces and devices, or

synchronization peripherals.

6 Turn on your Pro Tools audio interfaces (such

as 96 I/O). On power up, the status LEDs will ﬂash. Wait at least ﬁfteen seconds for the audio interface to initialize, and the status LEDs to stop blinking and stay lit.

Conﬁguring Your System

When you first use Pro Tools (or when you change your hardware), you should configure the Playback Engine and the Hardware Setup.

The Playback Engine lets you customize various System Usage parameters (such as buffers, CPU Usage).

Chapter 6: Sessions 35

Additionally, it sets voice count (and voiceable tracks) for your system and it’s sessions. Hardware Setup lets you set various parameters for your interfaces (such as whether you will use analog or digital inputs).

Conﬁguration Guidelines

Pro Tools System

Configuration Guidelines When Pro Tools Window

Configuring requirements are system-dependent. The following table provides general configuration guidelines.

HD-series Verify I/Os are present ﬁrst launch, or when you add

or remove HD I/Os

Change physical I/O routings (unless you always use default settings)

Make clock changes ﬁrst launch, or when you add

Change other default Hardware Setup settings

Change default Playback Engine (for example, CPU Usage, Hardware Buffer Size, and DAE Buffer Size)

MIX-series and Pro Tools|24

LE Change CPU Usage (for exam-

Change any of the default settings (such as changing Channel 1–2 input to digital or analog, and so on)

Change default Playback Engine (for example, the default number of DSPs used for the disk engine)

ple, from 75% to 80%)

when you add or remove HD I/Os

or remove HD I/Os

when you want to change your defaults

if you are not running other applications simultaneously with Pro Tools LE, or when you want to increase plug-ins

Hardware Setup

Playback Engine

Hardware Setup

Playback Engine

Playback Engine, or Hardware Setup

Increase H/W Buffer Size when mixing, and you want to

increase plug-in and mixer power

Pro Tools Reference Guide36

Playback Engine, or Hardware Setup

Host and RTAS Processing

RTAS on Pro Tools LE Systems

Pro Tools Playback Engine dialog allows you to set a hardware buffer size and allocate a percentage of CPU resources for these tasks.

RTAS on Pro Tools TDM Systems

On TDM systems, it is recommended that you set the H/W Buffer Size to 512 samples, and the CPU Usage Limit to 40%. These settings are the system defaults, and they should allow you to get good processing power from your RTAS plug-ins without slowing down the on-screen response of Pro Tools. These settings will work best on a fast computer (such as a G4 or Pentium IV computer).

On a slower TDM system, you should increase these settings. The H/W Buffer Size can be set as high as 1024 samples, and the CPU Usage Limit percentage can be set as high as 85%. This will increase the amount of processing you can get from RTAS plug-ins on slower systems.

On LE systems, it is recommended that you set the H/W Buffer Size to 256 samples, and the CPU Usage Limit to 70%. These settings are the system minimums, and they should allow you to get good processing power from your RTAS plug-ins without slowing down the on-screen response of Pro Tools. These settings will work best on a fast computer (such as a Power Macintosh G4 or fast Pentium IV-based computer).

However, on a slower system, to get maximum track count and processing power, you should use a higher H/W Buffer Size and CPU Usage Limit. At the maximum settings of 1024 samples and 85%, on most qualified systems, you should be able to get 24 audio tracks with plug-ins.

Higher H/W Buffer Sizes lead to increased latency. For more information on H/W Buffer Sizes and latency, see the

Started Guide

Getting

DAE Playback Buffer Size

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory allocated within DAE to manage disk buffers, which affects system performance.

When using RTAS plug-ins on TDM systems, you may encounter DAE -6031 or -9123 errors. In these instances, you can increase the H/W Buffer Size and CPU Usage Limit percentage in the Playback Engine dialog to get better system performance. With slower CPUs, you may also need to reduce the number of RTAS plug-ins used in the session to get acceptable results.

In addition to slower screen redraws and and responsiveness, larger hardware buffer sizes can affect automation accuracy for plug-in parameters and mute data, as well as timing for MIDI tracks.

DAE Playback Buffer in Playback Engine dialog

The default DAE Playback Buffer Size of “2” is recommended for 24-track, 24-bit sessions, and provides relatively fast record and playback while allowing most edits to be accommodated with reasonably fast hard disks. You may want to adjust this parameter to modify your system’s performance, as follows:

Chapter 6: Sessions 37

◆ Allocating a larger buffer size can sometimes

allow for a higher density of edits. This can be useful if you experience system performance problems in sessions with a large number of edits in rapid succession. However, choosing a larger buffer size can cause a time lag to occur before playback or recording begins. It can also cause a time lag to occur when you are editing during playback.

◆ Allocating a smaller buffer size can sometimes

improve playback/recording initiation speed. This can be useful if you are experiencing a time lag when you initiate playback/recording. However, choosing a smaller buffer size can make it difﬁcult for slower hard drives to play or record tracks reliably.

Conﬁguring a Pro Tools|HD System

2 From the H/W Buffer Size pop-up, select the

audio buffer size, in samples, for host processing tasks such as Real-Time AudioSuite (RTAS) plugin processing. The default setting is 512 samples. Select a higher setting if you need more buffer time for RTAS, HTDM, and Direct Connect applications.

3 From the CPU Usage Limit pop-up, select the

maximum percentage of CPU resources to allocate to host processing tasks. The default setting is 40%. Select a higher setting if you need more buffer time for RTAS, HTDM, and Direct Connect applications.

Increasing the CPU Usage Limit may slow down screen responses.

4 From the Number of Voices pop-up, select the

amount of voices (and voiceable tracks), for your sessions. The default number of voices on a Pro Tools|HD 1 system is 48 voices (at the default 48 kHz sample rate).

Pro Tools Playback Engine

To conﬁgure the Playback Engine

1 Choose Setups > Playback Engine.

Playback Engine dialog for Pro Tools|HD system

Pro Tools Reference Guide38

Changing the number of voices, along with sample rate, affects DSP usage and your system performance. Please read the following carefully.

Depending on the current sample rate, and the number of HD Core and Process cards in your system, you will have different choices available. For example, each HD card allows you to use one or two of its DSPs per card for voicing.

Most DSP amounts support three levels of voice numbers:

• Select higher voice numbers when your cards are in your machine, and you aren’t running extra PCI cards which may conﬂict with Digidesign cards. You should also select higher voice numbers when using a chassis to run higher track counts at higher sample rates (such as 64 tracks at 96 kHz) and you want more voices (such as 16 voices per DSP at 96 kHz).

• Select medium voice numbers when running cards in an expansion chassis, or when using other PCI cards along with Digidesign cards.

• Select minimum voice numbers if you are running high bandwidth PCI cards (such as video capture).

For voice limits on different HD systems, refer to Table 1 on page 7.

5 From the Sample Rate pop-up, select the ses-

sion sample rate. This choice will not be available if a session is open.

Session sample rate can always be set in the New Session dialog. See “Creating a New Session” on page 43.

6 Set DAE Playback Buffer Size.

The DAE Playback Buffer Size determines the amount of memory allocated within DAE to manage disk buffers, which affects system performance. For details, see “DAE Playback Buffer Size” on page 37.

7 Click OK, when ﬁnished.

Hardware Setup

Pro Tools lets you configure many parameters of your audio interface. Choose Setups > Hardware Setup to open the Hardware Setup dialog. The Hardware Setup determines which Pro Tools audio interfaces are used for Pro Tools recording and playback. For example, HD-series systems can have HD Core and HD Process cards, connected directly to 192 I/O or 96 I/O audio interfaces. In turn, the audio interfaces can have additional I/Os attached (including older Digidesign audio interfaces, such as the 1622 I/O). For more information, see Chapter 2, “Pro Tools System Configurations.”

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Main page

Main Page

The Main tab page of the Hardware Setup dialog is where you define which physical ports on your I/O audio interface are routed to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. The channel input and output pop-ups in Hardware Setup serve as a patchbay that allows you to route any of the physical inputs or outputs to your Pro Tools Mixer.

You must select the peripheral, then set the parameters for that interface—repeating this for each interface in your system.

The Main page also provides controls for Sample Rate, Clock Source, and expansion input and output.

Chapter 6: Sessions 39

You can validate audio interfaces at any time with the Identify button. Select the Digidesign audio interface in the Peripherals list, then click on the Identify button. All the LEDs on the interface’s front panel will illuminate.

Additional pages are available to configure other parameters on each I/O (such as setting operating levels). Refer to the Getting Started Guide for your system, or the guide for your audio interface.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Analog In page

To conﬁgure audio interfaces in Hardware Setup:

The following steps are for configuring an HD system with one or more HD interfaces (with one or more MIX-series interfaces attached). These steps can be applied to other system setups (such as a MIX system).

1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup in Pro Tools.

2 From the Peripherals list, select the Digidesign

audio interface connected to the ﬁrst card in your HD system. This will be the interface at the top of the list.

3 Make sure Main page tab is chosen.

4 From the Clock Source pop-up, select the ap-

propriate clock source for the system. In most cases, you will use Internal. The other choices are for resolving Pro Tools to external clock sources. Depending on your audio interface, Clock Source options can include: AES/EBU [Encl], S/PDIF, Optical [Encl], AES/EBU 1–8, TDIF, ADAT, and Word Clock (optional word clock rates are available at higher frequencies).

5 From the Ext. Clock Output, select the appro-

priate clock source to feed to devices attached to your I/O.

6 To select a different digital I/O on your audio

interface (enclosure), click on one of the format buttons, under Digital Format. Choices include: AES/EBU, S/PDIF, and Optical (S/PDIF). Selecting Optical (S/PDIF) resets the physical Optical I/O port (which is, by default, eight channels of ADAT I/O) to two channels of S/PDIF I/O.

7 For S/PDIF compatibility with Tascam DA30

DAT recorders, click on the Tascam button, under S/PDIF Format.

8 For the 96 I/O, click on the Meters pop-up

menu and select whether to meter input or output meters.

9 From the Input and Output Channel Selec-

tors, select the physical ports (such as Analog 1–2, Optical 1–2. and so on), that will be routed to the Pro Tools input and output ports (such as (Ch 1–2, 3–4, and so on).

Refer to your peripheral’s guide for sample rate, and other restrictions. For example, the Optical 1–8 channels will not be available for session sample rates of 88.2 or higher.

To differentiate inputs and outputs of the same format, they are labeled differently in the Input and Output Channel Selectors. For example, the AES/EBU inputs and outputs that come standard in the 192 I/O enclosure are identified as

Pro Tools Reference Guide40

AES/EBU (Encl); the AES/EBU inputs and outputs that come on the factory-installed Digital port are listed (in pairs) as AES/EBU 1–2, AES/EBU 3–4, and so on. For 192 I/Os equipped with the optional D/A Card (Digidesign 192 DA), the additional AES/EBU I/O ports on the optional card are labelled AES/EBU 9–10, AES/EBU 11–12, and so on.

The I/O Setup dialog provides a graphical representation of the Hardware Setup. Each I/O attached to your system is displayed, with controls to route physical ports to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. These controls mirror the routing controls found in Hardware Setup. Changes made to physical routing in one dialog, are always reflected in the other. I/O Setup also lets you label and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus signal paths. For more information on paths, path mapping, and other I/O Setup features, see “I/O Setup” on page 59.

10 Click on other tabs (such as Analog In and

Analog Out) for additional conﬁguration options speciﬁc to the audio interface. These include:

• On the 96 I/O, conﬁguring the operating levels of analog inputs and outputs (+4 dBu or –10 dB).

• On the 192 I/O analog input, setting the input connector, input trim (A or B), and Soft Limit.

• On the 192 I/O conﬁguring two sets of trims for inputs and outputs.

• On the 192 I/O, conﬁguring the optional D/A Card: Input Format, input sample rate converter (SR Conversion), and output channels to send AES/EBU Non-Audio Data.

For more information on Hardware Setup parameters for each HD I/O, refer to the Getting Started with HD Guide or the guide for your audio interface.

If you install another A/D or D/A, or Digital I/O card, you will see another tab with Analog 9–16, or Digital 9–16.

11 Repeat the above steps for additional HD-se-

ries audio interface.

Use the Up and Down Arrow keys to scroll though each peripheral.

12 Repeat the above steps for any Legacy I/Os

(such 888|24 I/O) connected to the ﬁrst I/O, then second, and so on. Before you can conﬁgure a Legacy I/O, it must ﬁrst be initialized in Hardware Setup (see below).

13 Click Ok.

For more information on Hardware Setup parameters for each Legacy I/O, refer to the guide that shipped with your Legacy audio interface.

Initializing MIX-Series Peripherals

Before you can configure a Legacy I/O, it must first be initialized in Hardware Setup, by completing the following:

1 Start your Pro Tools system. For startup steps,

refer to See “Starting Up Your System” on page 35.

2 Make sure you turn down the volume of your

speakers and amps. Very loud digital noise may be emitted before the Legacy I/O is initialized.

3 Turn on your Legacy I/O.

4 From the Peripheral list, choose the primary

I/O (the audio interface to which your Legacy I/O is connected).

5 From the Main page, select the Legacy I/O but-

ton in the Port Settings.

Chapter 6: Sessions 41

6 In the Peripheral list, “> <No Interface>” is

listed twice, directly below its primary I/O. Click on the ﬁrst “> <No Interface>” and a pop-menu will be presented with supported I/O choices.

7 From the Interface pop-up, select the type of

Legacy audio interface being conﬁgured (such as 888|24, 882|20, and so on). After selecting an audio interface, the Main page updates with controls that can be conﬁgured. Refer to the guide for your audio interface for details on each control.

8 Repeat the above steps for additional Legacy

I/Os.

Routing a Pro Tools Output Pair to Multiple Audio Interface Output Ports

Pro Tools channel pairs can be routed to multiple outputs on your Digidesign audio interface through Hardware Setup.

This provides you with the ability to have the same signal (such as a stereo pair, a stem mix, or a multichannel mix) sent to multiple destinations (such as multiple mastering devices). Instead of doing multiple bounces or mix passes, each to a discreet device or output, or daisychaining devices, Hardware Setup allows you to “mirror” the Pro Tools output and provide multiple channels of the same signal to different I/O ports. For example, if you assign Analog 1–2 and Digital [Encl] (AES/EBU, S/SPDIF) in Hardware Setup to Pro Tools Output pair 1–2, when you select Pro Tools Output 1–2 (as defined in I/O Setup), the audio will be routed to all four outputs with a single dual channel assignment.

Pro Tools outputs pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in I/O Setup. For more information, see “Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O” on page 63.

To select multiple output ports for a Pro Tools output channel pair:

1 Choose Setups > Hardware Setup in Pro Tools.

2 From the Peripherals list, select the desired in-

terface.

3 Make sure Main page tab is chosen.

4 Select an output pair.

5 Ctrl+Shift an additional output destination.

The output name updates with a plus sign (“+”) before it.

To verify which output ports have been routed, select the original output: In the pop-up menu, each output assigned to the Pro Tools output channel pair will have a check mark next to it.

Hardware Setup dialog for 192 I/O, Main page›

6 Select additional output destinations, as de-

sired. The only limit to output choices is the number of outputs available in your system.

Conﬁguring Other Pro Tools Systems

To configure a Pro Tools MIX-series, Pro Tools|24, or Pro Tools LE system, refer to the guides that came with your system.

Older Pro Tools software releases have different Playback Engine and Hardware Setup dialogs, as described in their guides.

Pro Tools Reference Guide42

Creating a New Session

The first step in beginning a Pro Tools project is creating a new session. When you do this, Pro Tools automatically creates a new folder named for your session. Within this folder is the session file and two other folders, an Audio Files folder, and a Fade Files folder.

The Audio Files folder contains all audio recorded or converted during the session. The Fade Files folder contains any crossfaded audio data generated by the session.

When you record a new audio track, the track is saved as a new audio file to the Audio Files folder. You can also import other audio files into the session, and work with them as well.

Typical session folder

For details on allocating audio tracks to different hard drive locations, including shared media volumes, see “Disk Allocation” on page 123.

To create a new session:

1 Choose File > New Session.

New Session dialog

2 Choose the drive where you want to save the

session. The session should be created on a dedicated audio drive.

3 Select “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” (Mac-

intosh) or “Enforce PC/Mac Compatibility” (Windows) if you want to create session and audio ﬁles that can be used in either Macintosh or Windows versions of Pro Tools. See “Creating Mac and PC Compatible Sessions” on page 111 for more information.

To use Japanese or non-ASCII characters in track and region names, or track comments, disable the option for “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” or “Enforce PC/Mac Compatibility” when creating a new session.

Similarly, if you attempt to save a session copy with the “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” or “Enforce PC/Mac Compatibility” option enabled, all Japanese and non-ASCII characters will be lost.

Chapter 6: Sessions 43

4 Select the audio ﬁle format for the session.

For optimum compatibility between Windows and Macintosh sessions, set the file type to WAV. SDII files are not supported on Windows systems, and Pro Tools prevents you from choosing SDII as the file type if Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility is selected (or the session is on a PC).

5 Select the bit depth (16 bit or 24 bit) and the

sample rate.

6 Select the I/O Settings to use for the session.

Several pre-conﬁgured I/O Settings are included with your system, or you can select a custom I/O Setting that you have created. See Chapter 7, “I/O Setup” for more information.

Opening a Session

When you open a session, Pro Tools looks in the session folder for associated audio and fade files.

To open an existing session:

1 Choose File > Open Session.

7 Name the Session.

8 Click Save.

Choosing Bit Depth and Sample Rate

When choosing a bit depth or sample rate for your session, consider the disk space and DSP mixing power your selection will require. 24-bit sessions occupy about 50% more disk space than 16-bit sessions. 192 kHz files occupy four times the space as 44.1 kHz files. Fewer mixer channels are available with higher samples rates or 24-bit sessions on TDM systems (see Appendix B, “TDM Mixing and DSP Usage”). On LE systems, 24-bit sessions require more processing power as well. It is not possible to combine different bit depths within a single session.

Open Session dialog

2 Locate the session you want to open and click

Open.

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Items

Pro Tools prompts you when opening a session that contains unavailable I/O, DSP resources, plug-ins, or unsupported tracks. This is common when transferring sessions to systems with different Digidesign hardware.

Opening a session with unavailable items

Pro Tools Reference Guide44

The dialog contains a summary of the missing session components. To save a text file containing a more detailed report, along with the resulting action, click OK in the dialog.

Following are some actions that may occur when opening a session with unavailable items:

◆ Unsupported tracks for the current system are

discarded. For example, trying to open a 64track session on an LE system (which only supports 24 tracks) would result in the loss of 40 tracks. Furthermore, if you save this opened ﬁle, you will loose those tracks forever!

◆ Inserts assigned to unavailable plug-ins are

made inactive.

◆ Inputs, outputs, and sends that are assigned to

unavailable paths, are dropped.

Saving a Session

You should save regularly while working on your session to ensure that your work is preserved on your hard drive.

Speeding up Saves by Reducing the Disk Cache Size

(Macintosh Only)

To save a session:

■ Choose File > Save Session.

Revert to Saved Command

If you have made changes to a session since you last saved it, you can discard the changes and revert to its previously saved state.

To revert to the last saved version of a session:

■ Choose File > Revert to Saved.

Save Session As Command

The Save Session As command is useful for saving a copy of the current session under a different name, or to a different hard drive location. Because the Save Session As command closes the current session and lets you keep working on the renamed copy, it is particularly useful if you are experimenting and want to save successive stages of the session.

By working this way, you can quickly retrace your steps should you want to go back to an earlier version of your session. By using the Save Session As command you are saving a new version of the session ﬁle only—not duplicate versions of the audio or fade files.

To speed up session saves and disk bounces, it is recommended that you reduce the Cache Size for your Macintosh to 512k (in the Control Panel > Memory dialog).

Saving the Session File

The Save Session command saves the changes you have made to your session and writes them over the previously saved version of the file. The Save Session command cannot be undone.

To save a session under another name:

1 Choose File > Save Session As.

2 Enter a new name for your session and click

Save to save the session.

The renamed session document is saved in the session folder along with the original session. Any new audio files that you record in your renamed session will be placed into the same Audio Files folder that was created for your original session.

Chapter 6: Sessions 45

Saving a Copy of the Session

You can use the Save Session Copy In command to save a copy of the current session, along with its audio files and fade files, to a different file and hard drive location. In addition, you can specify a session file format, audio file format, bit depth, and sample rate for the session copy.

Using the Save Session Copy In command is the only way to switch sample rates of a session.

When you Save Session Copy with a lower bit rate, Dither (and Noise Shaping) may be applied. See the following table:

Dither and Noise Shaping with Save Session Copy In:

Save

Bit Rate Conversion

Session Copy

Save Session Copy In dialog

Unlike the Save Session As command, Save Session Copy In does not close the original session, so subsequent edits are made to the original session. Session copies can be used to archive important sessions, or as a means to prepare sessions for transfer to another Pro Tools system.

Save Session Copy In only saves audio being used in the session. Any audio that was recorded or imported and then later removed from the session, will not be copied to the new session copy.

24-bit to 16-bit (Dither and Noise Shape)

24-bit to 8-bit (Noise Shape Only)

16-bit to 8-bit (Noise Shape Only)

Yes

For more information about using Dither with Save, see “Dither” on page 359.

Session Format

You can save the session copy in the following formats:

• Latest (Pro Tools 5.1 or later)

• Pro Tools 5 Session

• Pro Tools 4, 16-Bit Session

• Pro Tools 4, 24-Bit Session

• Pro Tools 3.2 Session

Use Latest if you are working with Pro Tools software v5.1 or higher.

When saving 5.3 sessions to earlier versions, multichannel tracks and multi-mono plug-ins are lost. In this case, make sure to first separate the tracks and plug-ins to individual mono tracks.

Pro Tools Reference Guide46

Session Parameters

Audio File Type

You can save the session as a WAV or AIFF session. You can also save a session as SDII format on the Macintosh.

SDII sessions are not supported for Pro Tools in Windows. For this reason, you cannot set the session audio file type to SDII on the Macintosh if Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility is selected.

Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility (Macintosh) Enforce PC/Mac Compatibility (Windows)

This setting forces Macintosh or Windows versions of Pro Tools to create sessions and audio ﬁles that are usable on both platforms. For more information, see “Creating Mac and PC Compatible Sessions” on page 111.

Items to Copy

All Audio Files and Session Plug-In Settings Folder

Using Mixed File Types

A session can use mixed audio file types. If your original session has mixed file types, they are not converted to a different file type unless you specify that they be converted. However, when using mixed file types, audio performance will be reduced (due to additional file handling required for some file formats).

Bit Depth

You can save the new session at 16-bit or 24-bit depth. If your session is in a different bit depth, audio ﬁles are converted to the new session bit depth, and copied to the location you specify.

Sample Rate

You can save the new session at 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz sample rate (or higher for HD-series systems). If your session is at a different sample rate, audio ﬁles are converted to the new session sample rate, and copied to the location you specify.

The higher the quality of sample rate conversion you choose, the longer Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.

When this option is selected, all audio files and the session’s Plug-In Settings folder are copied to the new location. The references to these plugin settings in the session are redirected to point to the copied files.

This setting is automatically selected if you are changing bit depth or sample rate, or copying a session on the Macintosh from SDII format to AIFF or WAV format with Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility selected.

All Non-SDII Audio Files

(Force Audio Files to Native Session Type)

This option ensures that all ﬁles in the new session are in the session ﬁle type you select, by converting ﬁles of different types to the session’s ﬁle format. Use this setting to avoid the reduced performance of a session with mixed ﬁle types.

Chapter 6: Sessions 47

Don’t Copy Fade Files

With this option selected, Fade Files are not copied to the new session Fade Files folder. When the session is launched, the Find Files dialog will prompt you to locate Fade Files. You can either locate the existing fades using the ﬁnd ﬁle dialog, or Skip All to let Pro Tools recreate the fades from the session document.

Root Plug-In Settings Folder

When this option is selected, the contents of the root-level Plug-In Settings Folder are copied into a folder named Place in Root Settings Folder, indicating that these files will need to be moved to the root level plug-in settings folder on the destination system before you can use them. The references to these settings files in the session are not redirected to point to the copied files.

Movie/Video Files (Macintosh Only)

When this option is selected, session movie files (QuickTime video files or AVoption or AVoption XL video files) are copied to the new location, and session references are updated to point to the copied movie files.

To save a session copy in a new location:

1 Choose File > Save Session Copy In.

2 In the Save Session Copy dialog, choose a des-

tination and enter a name for the new session ﬁle.

3 Set the Audio File Type to AIFF, WAV, or SDII.

If the audio ﬁles need to be compatible on either Macintosh or Windows platform, select AIFF or WAV.

4 Set the Sample Rate and Bit Depth for the ses-

sion.

5 Select “Enforce Mac/PC Compatibility” (Mac-

6 Select the Items to Copy to the new session.

7 Click Save.

Creating Custom Session Templates

You can create custom session documents that are pre-configured to the track setups, mixer setups, window arrangements, and zoom level memory locations that you use most frequently. Doing this will save you the trouble of having to create your studio setup from scratch every time you start a new session.

Creating Macintosh Templates

You can create a session template on the Macintosh by saving a session file as a Stationery Pad document. Once a session is saved as stationery, it acts as a template that you can open and then resave as a normal session.

To create a custom session template on the Macintosh:

1 Create a session and arrange Pro Tools as de-

sired. You can also deﬁne the parameters within these windows, such as signal routings, insert and send conﬁgurations, track views, Ruler settings, and Preference settings.

2 Choose File > Save Session As.

Pro Tools Reference Guide48

3 Name the session and click Save.

4 Close the session.

5 Locate the session ﬁle that you just saved.

Creating Windows Templates

In Windows, you can create a session template by making a session file a Read Only document.

6 Click once on the ﬁle to select it.

7 Choose File > Get Info > General Information.

A ﬁle information window appears.

Saving a session as a Stationery Pad (Macintosh)

8 Click the Stationery Pad check box to save the

ﬁle as a template, then close the information window.

To use this template, double-click it or open it with the Open Session command if you are already running Pro Tools. You can create several custom templates for studio setups that you frequently use.

To create a custom session template in Windows:

1 Create a session and arrange Pro Tools as de-

sired. You can also deﬁne the parameters within these windows, such as signal routings, insert and send conﬁgurations, track views, Ruler settings, and Preference settings.

2 Choose File > Save Session As.

3 Name the session and click Save.

4 Close the session.

5 Locate the session ﬁle that you just saved.

6 Right-click the ﬁle and choose Properties.

7 Under Attributes, deselect Archive and select

Read Only.

When you open a session saved as a Stationery Pad, Pro Tools gives you the option of editing the template or starting a new session using the template settings. If you choose New Session, Pro Tools will create a new folder containing a copy of your session template and Audio and Fades folders.

Making a session a Read Only ﬁle (Windows)

8 Click OK.

Chapter 6: Sessions 49

To use this template, double-click it or open it with the Open Session command. When you first save the session, Pro Tools will ask you to give the session a new name. Your original session template will remain unchanged.

To modify the session template, you will need to reopen its Properties, deselect the Read Only option and select the Archive option, make your modifications, then change it back to a Read Only file.

Sharing Sessions Between Pro Tools TDM Systems and Pro Tools LE Systems

Pro Tools makes it easy to share sessions between Pro Tools LE and TDM-equipped systems. There are some important differences between the two types of systems that can affect how session material is transferred.

Differences between TDM and LE systems

Feature TDM Systems LE Systems

Closing a Session

Because Pro Tools allows you to work on just one session at a time, you must close the current session if you want to work on another. The Close Session command closes your current Pro Tools session but leaves the Pro Tools application open. You can save your work using the Save Session or Save Session As command before closing the current session.

To close a session:

■ Choose File > Close Session.

Quitting Pro Tools

Although Pro Tools will warn you before allowing you to quit without saving changes, you should generally save your work before quitting.

To quit Pro Tools on the Macintosh:

■ Choose File > Quit.

To exit Pro Tools in Windows:

■ Choose File > Exit.

Number of Tracks

Number of mix busses

Inserts per Track

Sends per Track

up to 256 (HDseries), up to 128 (MIXseries)

64 busses 16 busses

up to 5 inserts up to 5 inserts

up to 5 sends up to 5 sends

limited to 24

When opening a TDM session in Pro Tools LE, the following rules apply:

◆ Any tracks beyond the ﬁrst 24, as well any in-

active tracks, are discarded.

◆ Multichannel surround tracks are discarded.

◆ Any assignments to busses beyond 16 are

made inactive.

◆ Input and output paths not available are dis-

carded.

◆ TDM plug-ins with RTAS equivalents are re-

tained; those without equivalents are made inactive.

Pro Tools Reference Guide50

Preferences

The Preferences dialog has several tabbed pages in which you can specify your preferred settings for various session parameters. Each new session will use these preferences.

Display Preferences

Recompute Invalid Overviews This option prompts Pro Tools to look for missing or corrupted overview data (the data used to create waveform displays) when it opens sessions. If Pro Tools finds that overview data is missing or corrupted, it will recreate one or more overviews for the session. This may take some time if there are many tracks in the session. If you suspect that overview data for a session has become corrupted, or if you import audio files which have no overview data into a session, make sure this preference is enabled for the session, save and close the session, then reopen it. Pro Tools will recreate any overviews for the session when it opens.

Draw Waveforms Rectiﬁed This option displays audio waveform data in rectified view. In this view, audio waveforms are displayed so that their positive and negative waveform excursions

(the portions that fall above and below the center line) are summed together and viewed as a single positive-value signal. This view allows more waveform detail to be seen in either normal or reduced track height views. It can be particularly useful when editing volume automation data, since it depicts waveform levels as starting at the bottom of the track.

Draw Grids in Edit Window This option adds grid lines to the Edit window. Grid line resolution is based on the zoom level of the Edit window.

Mix Window Follows Bank Selection This option, which is only available if you are using a supported external MIDI controller, causes Pro Tools to scroll the Mix window to display the selected bank of tracks when you switch banks on the MIDI controller, ensuring that the current bank is viewable on-screen.

Edit Window Follows Bank Selection This option, which is only available if you are using a supported external MIDI controller, causes Pro Tools to scroll the Edit window to display the selected bank of tracks when you switch banks on the MIDI controller, ensuring that the current selection of tracks in the current bank is viewable on-screen.

Edit Window Default Length This option allows you to set a default length for the Edit window in hours, minutes, seconds, and frames. This capability is useful if you wish to assemble a session of a particular length or leave extra room to expand the Edit window’s work area in your session. There is a 13 hour maximum limit for the length of a Pro Tools session.

Show Meters in Sends View When the Sends View is displaying individual send controls, you can enable this option to show send level meters. If you are using a slower computer, you can disable this option to reduce the processing load on your CPU.

Chapter 6: Sessions 51

Edit Window Color Coding

Edit Window Color Coding determines how colors are assigned to the waveform display in the Edit window. Choices are:

None This option turns off color assignment to the waveform display of tracks in the Edit window.

Tracks and MIDI Channels Assigns a color to the waveform display of each track in the Edit window according to its voice number and MIDI channel assignment.

Tracks and MIDI Devices Assigns a color to the waveform display of each track in the Edit window according to its voice number and MIDI device type.

Groups Assigns a color to the waveform display of each track in the Edit window according to its group ID. If groups are suspended using the Suspend Groups command, all waveforms will be displayed in black.

Operation Preferences

Timeline Insertion Follows Playback This option causes the screen’s play cursor to update its location to the point where playback stops.

Edit Insertion Follows Scrub/Shuttle When selected, the edit cursor automatically locates to the point where scrubbing stops.

Peak Hold Options

These options determine how long the peak indicators on track meters stay lit after a peak is detected. Choices are:

3-Second Peak Hold When selected, track meters display the last peak level for three seconds.

Inﬁnite Peak Hold When selected, track meters display the last peak level until you click them to clear them.

No Peak Hold When selected, track meters do not hold the peak level.

Pro Tools Reference Guide52

Support Background Record Applications Allows other audio recording applications to run in the background concurrently with Pro Tools. Files recorded in the background can be imported into Pro Tools, and then trimmed and viewed while recording continues.

Sends Default to –INF Sets the initial fader level

of newly-created Sends to –∞ (no audible signal

level).

Audio During Fast Forward/Rewind When selected, audio is audible during fast-forward or rewind.

Latch Record Enable Buttons When deselected, prevents multiple tracks from being record-enabled: Record-enabling a track takes any other track out of record-enabled mode.

Latch Solo Buttons When deselected, prevents multiple tracks from being soloed. Soloing a track mutes any track that is soloed.

Link Mix and Edit Group Enables When selected, links enabling and disabling of Mix and Edit groups: Enabling Group A in the Edit Window automatically enables Group A in the Mix window.

Use F11 Key for Wait for Note When selected, pressing the F11 Function key puts MIDI recording in Wait for Note mode.

Numeric Keypad Mode

Numeric Keypad Mode determines how the numeric keypad functions. You can always use the numeric keypad to select and enter values in the Event Edit Area, Location Indicators, and Transport fields.

Classic Emulates the way Pro Tools worked in versions earlier than 5.0. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Classic, you can play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to reverse direction. Recall Memory Locations by typing the Memory Location number, followed by period (.).

Transport Allows you to set a number of record and play functions, and also operate the Transport from the numeric keypad. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Transport, you can play up to two tracks of audio in Shuttle Lock mode. Press Control (Macintosh) or the Start key (Windows), followed by 0–9 for different play speeds. Press Plus (+) or Minus (–) to reverse direction. Recall Memory Locations by typing period (.), the Memory Location number, and period (.) again.

Shuttle Selects a type of shuttling different from that of Shuttle Lock mode. With the Numeric Keypad Mode set to Shuttle, playback is triggered by pressing and holding the keys on the numeric keypad—playback stops once the keys are released. Various playback speeds are available in both forward and reverse. You can also recall Memory Locations by typing period (.), the Memory Location number, and period (.) again.

Autosave

This preference determines how the Autosave feature functions.

Enable Autosave When selected, Pro Tools automatically saves sessions while you work. Use the Keep and Save Every fields to specify the total number of incremental backups that are kept and how often the session is saved.

Online Options

Record Online at Time Code (or ADAT) Lock When selected, online recording begins as

soon as Pro Tools receives and locks to time code or ADAT sync.

Record Online at Insertion/Selection When selected, online recording begins at the Edit cursor location. Recording continues until Pro Tools stops receiving time code. If you make a selection, Pro Tools records online for the length of the selection.

Chapter 6: Sessions 53

Open Ended Record Allocation

Remote Mode

This preference determines how much of your available hard drive space is allocated for recording. Choices are:

Use All Available Space When selected, the drive’s entire available space is allocated. This can sometimes slow down the recording process for hard drives that use certain file systems, including HFS+ and NTFS.

Limit To Sets the maximum allowable recording duration. This can help reduce the time it takes to begin recording by allocating only a portion of your hard drive. The number of minutes specified is allocated for each record-enabled track. You may find it necessary to experiment with this number to achieve the desired performance for recording.

Machine Control

These preferences determine how a connected transport responds to Pro Tools. Choices are:

Machine Chases Memory Location When selected, navigating to a specific location in a session with a Memory Location causes a connected transport to chase to that location.

Punch In Frame Offset Sets an offset in frames to compensate for punch in timing advances or delays.

Punch Out Frame Offset Sets an offset in frames to compensate for punch out timing advances or delays.

Auto Regions Fade In/Out Length Sets a default length for fade-ins and fade-outs automatically applied to region boundaries. Using automatic fade-ins and fade-outs saves you the trouble of editing to zero-crossings or creating numerous rendered fades in order to eliminate clicks or pops in playback. Autofades are not written to disk. Value range is from 0–10 ms for the Auto Region Fade In/Out Length. A value of zero (the default) means that no auto-fading will occur. The Auto Fade value is saved with the session, and is automatically applied to all free-standing region boundaries until you change it.

Calibration Reference Level Sets a default calibration reference level in dB when Pro Tools is in Calibration mode.

Editing Preferences

Machine Follows Edit Insertion/Scrub When selected, navigating to a specific location in a session by moving the selection point or by scrubbing a track will cause a connected transport to chase to that location.

Machine Cues Intelligently When selected, if you navigate to a cue point that is more than 10 seconds from the current location, Pro Tools will command a connected transport to shuttle to the desired location at full speed to within 10 seconds of the cue point. Cueing will then slow to normal speed until the point is reached. This significantly speeds up tape cueing.

Pro Tools Reference Guide54

Track Selection Follows Regions List Selection When selected, selecting a region in

the Regions List causes Pro Tools to highlight that region’s occurrence in a track.

Region List Selection Follows Track Selection When selected, selecting a region in a

track also selects it in the Regions List.

Auto-Name Separated Regions When selected, Pro Tools automatically names newly separated regions by appending a number to the region’s name.

Auto-Name Memory Locations When Playing When selected, Pro Tools gives new

memory locations default names based on their time location in the session. The time units currently chosen in the Display menu determine the units for the names.

Recall Original Track Selections When selected, Memory Locations that recall a selection also recall the track in which the selection was made.

Crossfade Preview Pre-Roll This option specifies the amount of pre-roll to be added when you are auditioning crossfades in the Fades dialog.

Conversion Quality Selects the sample rate conversion quality. Sample rate conversion is used in a variety of Pro Tools processes including converting and importing audio files of different formats into a session, and bouncing and saving tracks to a different sample rate or bit depth. The higher the quality of sample rate conversion you choose, the longer Pro Tools will take to process the audio file.

“Matching Start Time” Takes List

Command-clicking (Macintosh) or Controlclicking (Windows) in a track, will display a list of regions whose time stamp matches the current cursor location. The preferences that follow determine which takes appear in this list:

Take Region Names That Match Track Names When selected, only regions that share

the same root name with the track and playlist appear in the Takes List pop-up menu.

Take Region Lengths That Match When selected, only regions that match the length of the current selection appear in the Takes List pop-up menu.

Crossfade Preview Post-Roll This option specifies the amount of post-roll to be added when you are auditioning crossfades in the Fades dialog.

Default Fade Settings

Fade In Selects the default envelope shape for

fade-ins.

Crossfade Selects the default envelope shape for crossfades.

Fade Out Selects the default envelope shape for fade-outs.

“Separate Region” Operates On All Related Takes When selected, editing a region with the

Separate Region command also affects all other related takes with the same User Time Stamp. This option helps you compare different sections from a group of related takes.

QuickPunch Crossfade Length Specifies a default length for crossfades created by QuickPunch recording. Crossfades occur before the punch in and after the punch out.

Levels Of Undo Sets the maximum number of actions (up to 16) that can be undone with the multiple undo feature.

Chapter 6: Sessions 55

Automation Preferences

Send Mutes Follow Groups When selected, muting a Send that belongs to a group mutes all other members of the group. When deselected, Sends must be muted individually.

Send Levels Follow Groups When selected, adjusting the level of a Send that belongs to a group adjusts the Send levels of all other members of the group. When deselected, Send levels must be adjusted individually.

LFEs Follow Groups When selected, adjusting or editing an LFE control that belongs to a group adjusts the LFE controls of all other members of the group. When deselected, LFE controls must be adjusted individually.

Faders Move During Playback When selected, faders move on-screen when automated. When deselected, faders do not move, but automation is still functioning.

Smooth and Thin Data After Pass When selected, automation is automatically smoothed and thinned by the amount specified with the Degree of Thinning option.

Write Switches To Touch After Pass After an automation pass in Auto Write mode, Pro Tools automatically switches to Auto Touch mode. On TDM systems you can choose to stay in Auto Write mode by deselecting this option.

Mutes Follow Groups When selected, muting a track that belongs to a Mix group mutes all other members of the group. When deselected, tracks must be muted individually.

Solos Follow Groups When selected, soloing a track that belongs to a Mix group solos all other members of the group. When deselected, tracks must be soloed individually.

Degree of Thinning Specifies the amount of automation data thinning applied when automation is recorded. Avoid over thinning automation data or it may no longer accurately reflect the original pass.

Touch Timeout Specifies how quickly automation recording stops or “times out” after you stop moving a MIDI controller in Touch mode.

AutoMatch Time Specifies how quickly Pro Tools returns a fader or other control to its previously automated level after automation recording stops.

Amount of Memory for Automation Recording Allows you to reserve additional memory for recording automation. If you have dense automation data or a large number of automated tracks, increase this amount. Relaunch Pro Tools for this setting to take effect.

Pro Tools Reference Guide56

Processing Preferences

AudioSuite Dither

Use AudioSuite Dither When selected, applies dither to specific audio processing tasks.

Dither Plug-In Specifies the plug-in used for dither processing when the Use AudioSuite Dither option is selected.

tions. Set the buffer according to your current task. Before auditioning an AudioSuite plug-in, set the buffer to Mini or Small. When you process a file, set it to Large or Jumbo.

TC/E

TC/E Plug-In Allows you to choose the plug-in used for Time Compression and Expansion when you edit audio with the Time Trimmer tool. The Time Trimmer works by using Time Compression/Expansion to match an audio region to the length of another region, a tempo grid, a video scene, or other reference point.

Default Settings Specifies the default settings used by the chosen Time Compression/Expansion plug-in.

Compatibility Preferences

Edit Settings When a Digidesign dithering plugin is used, allows you to apply either normal or noise-shaping dither.

Bit Depth

16-, 18-, 20-, and 24-Bit allows you to select a bit depth for the dithered audio.

AudioSuite Buffer Size

Audio Suite Buffer Size sets the size of the memory buffer used for audio processing and previewing with AudioSuite plug-ins. Generally, choosing a smaller buffer speeds up AudioSuite audio previewing functions. Choosing a larger buffer speeds up AudioSuite processing func-

Convert All Imported “WAV” Files To AES31/BroadcastWave When selected, this op-

tion applies to all newly imported .WAV files, making them compliant with the AES31/EBU Broadcast standard.

Chapter 6: Sessions 57

Avid Compatibility Mode When selected, ensures that all imported OMF media files are treated as Read-Only and prevents destructive editing processes such as those used by the Pencil and Time Trimmer tools and AudioSuite processing.

MIDI Preferences

Play MIDI Notes When Editing When selected, causes MIDI notes to sound when you insert them with the Pencil or drag them with the Grabber.

MIDI Note Display Sets the reference for middle C as C3, C4, or MIDI note number 60.

Default Thru Instrument Sets the default MIDI Thru instrument from your available MIDI instruments.

Default Note On Velocity Sets the default Note On velocity for MIDI notes inserted in the Edit window and the MIDI Event List.

Pencil Tool Resolution Sets the default resolution for MIDI controller data created with the Pencil. Setting this to a lower resolution helps avoid creating controller data that is unnecessarily dense. The value range is from 1 to 100 milliseconds.

Global MIDI Playback Offset Sets an offset in samples to compensate for MIDI latency. Entering a value here has the same effect as setting an offset with the MIDI Track Offset command (Windows > MIDI Track Offset). Offset values can be positive (later) or negative (earlier).

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Chapter 7: I/O Setup

The I/O Setup dialog provides tools to label, format, and map Pro Tools input, output, insert, bus, and SampleCell signal paths for each session. I/O Setup also lets you route the I/O ports on your Digidesign audio interface to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. On HD systems, the I/O Setup Dialog provides a graphical representation of the Hardware Setup, displaying your system’s audio interfaces and allowing you to mirror Hardware Setup routing. (SampleCell paths are available on MIX-series and Pro Tools|24 systems only.)

A signal path is a logical grouping of multiple inputs, outputs or busses that has a single name and (channel) format. In Pro Tools, paths are similar to stems, known to the film and video industries (see “Stems and Stem Mixes” on page 61 for more information).

The I/O Setup dialog lets you name and define these paths so that Pro Tools best suits the needs of your projects. For example, renaming Input 1 to Kick In.

Each Pro Tools system can have a different I/O Setup configuration, determined by:

• Whether it is a Pro Tools LE system, or a TDMequipped Pro Tools system

• Whether it is an HD-series, MIX-series, or Pro Tools|24 system

• The number and types of audio interfaces (TDM systems only)

• The Mixer plug-in currently installed

Each Pro Tools session retains its path configurations as I/O Settings. The I/O Settings saved with the session are loaded into Pro Tools automatically when the session is opened. Unavailable items (including hardware, paths, or required resources) remain in the session as inactive items (see “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 69).

When you create new sessions you can specify a default I/O Setup configuration, including presets for stereo or multichannel mixing formats (multichannel mixing requires a Pro Tools|HD system, or Pro Tools|24 MIX system).

The I/O Setup dialog lets you customize signal path, as well as save and load I/O Settings files.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 59

Number of Busses (TDM Only)

Paths and I/O Setup

Pro Tools 5.3 supports up to 64 busses for TDM systems. However, when opening 5.0.1 (or earlier) sessions, only 32 busses are initially available.

To make 64 busses available in 5.0.1 (or earlier) sessions:

1 Open the I/O Setup dialog.

2 Click the Bus tab in the upper left.

3 Click the Default button.

Paths in Sessions

During sessions, audio is routed using the track Input, Output, Insert, Plug-in, and Send Selectors. The selectors let you assign tracks to hardware outputs and inputs, internal busses, and other Pro Tools signal paths.

Paths comprise the lists of available choices in track I/O Selectors and other menus.

The signal routing choices available in track I/O Selectors are defined in the I/O Setup dialog.

I/O Setup dialog, Output paths, on a Digi 001 system

Track Input and Output Selectors, Digi 001

Track Input and Output Selectors, TDM

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I/O Setup dialog, Output paths, on a TDM system with two interfaces

Main Paths and Sub-Paths

Paths in the I/O Setup dialog include main paths and sub-paths.

ware conﬁguration. As mixing and signal routing needs require, you can customize the I/O Setup configuration in numerous ways (see “The I/O Setup Dialog” on page 62).

Stereo main path

mono sub-path

Main and sub-paths in the I/O Setup Channel Grid

Main Paths

Main paths are logical groupings of inputs, inserts, busses, or outputs. For example, Main Out is often the name of a master stereo output. Sometimes appended with “L/R” for left/right, this is an example of a signal path named by its content (the main stereo mix).

Sub-Paths

A sub-path represents a signal path within a main path. For example, a default stereo output path consists of two mono sub-paths, left and right. Mono tracks and sends can be routed to either mono sub-path.

Naming and defining sub-paths (of main paths) is especially useful for complex mixing, such as 5.1 Surround.

Default I/O Settings

Default path deﬁnitions are installed automatically by Pro Tools, so you can begin recording and mixing without requiring any conﬁguration of the I/O Setup dialog. Default I/O Settings ﬁles conﬁgure the I/O Setup dialog with a combination of mono and stereo path deﬁnitions of all types, depending on your system and hard-

Multichannel settings files are available for Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems. These settings provide specialized path definitions for surround mixing. See “Configuring Pro Tools for Multichannel Sessions” on page 432.

Defaults

Default names for input, output, and insert paths are based on your audio interface’s name and its available channels.

Stems and Stem Mixes

The use of stems and stem mixes originated in the post production industry as a method to organize and manage elements of a mix by type or content.

For example, a film mix often requires a stem mix for Foley, a stem mix for sound effects, a stem mix for dialog, another for music, and so on. The dialog stem (for just one example) contains all the dialog elements, mixed relative to each other. Dialog can then be mixed with the other stems during the final mix of the scene or reel. The final mix is simplified (somewhat) by the ability to control the level of each stem, rather than the multitude of individual tracks that comprise a typical film mix.

In Pro Tools, you can work with main and subpaths as you would stem mixes. These can be assigned as needed, including the ability to assign multiple outputs to tracks and sends. For more information, see “Multiple Output Assignments” on page 344.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 61

The I/O Setup Dialog

The I/O Setup dialog deﬁnes Pro Tools input, output, insert, and bus paths. Routing I/O ports to Pro Tools inputs and outputs can also be done here.

Path Type Tabs

Path Name column

Active/Inactive

Expand/Collapse

Main and Sub-Paths

Options

Path Format Selector

Figure 4. I/O Setup dialog on a Pro Tools|HD system with a 96 I/O

To open the I/O Setup dialog:

1 Make sure your audio interfaces are enabled

and conﬁgured properly in the Hardware Setup.

2 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

Closing the I/O Setup Dialog

You can click Cancel at any time to close the I/O Setup dialog. However, when you click OK Pro Tools must check several settings for routing validity (to prevent feedback loops and other

To open the Input, Output, Insert, Bus or SampleCell window in I/O Setup:

■ Click the appropriate tab at the top of the I/O

Setup dialog.

possible dangers). If there are any overlapping or otherwise invalid settings, you will be required to correct them before the I/O Setup dialog will close. For more information, see “Initializing I/O Setup” on page 68.

Channel Grid

Output Selector

Path Tools

Pro Tools Reference Guide62

Controls in I/O Setup

This section provides an overview of the following I/O Setup controls.

Path Type Tabs Select the type of I/O to configure. Choices are Inputs, Outputs, Inserts, Busses, or SampleCell. (SampleCell paths are available on MIX-series systems only.)

Input and Output Selectors Selects physical ports on your I/O peripheral to route to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. Selections are made in channel pairs. Available ports for each displayed interface are based on Hardware Setup settings; for example, if the AES/EBU inputs and outputs of an interface are enabled in Hardware Setup, they are available for routing in I/O Setup. The functionality provided with the Input and Output Selector is the same as that provided on the Main page of the Hardware Setup dialog.

Path Name Column Shows paths that are available for selection, including the user-defined name of each defined path.

Show Original Setup Displays in the I/O Setup dialog in certain session transfer situations. For details on this feature, see “Show Original Setup and Show Current Setup” on page 71.

Options Provide pop-up menus to set paths or orders for Meter, Audition (Regions List previewing), Default Output (for new tracks), and Default Path Order. See “Default Output, Meter, Audition, and Default Path Order I/O Setup Options” on page 73.

Routing Hardware I/O to Pro Tools I/O

The I/O Setup dialog lets you define which physical ports on your I/O peripheral are routed to Pro Tools inputs and outputs. The Input and Output Selectors in I/O Setup serve as a patchbay that allows you to route any of the physical inputs or outputs to your Pro Tools Mixer.

Expand/Collapse Shows/hides the sub-paths associated with a main path.

Active/Inactive Shows and changes the active/inactive status of each path.

Path Format Selector Shows and selects the type/format (mono, stereo, 5.1, and so on) of each defined path.

Channel Grid Maps paths to specific I/O units and channels.

Path Tools Customize the I/O Setup configuration. Buttons include: New Path, New Sub-Path, Delete Path, and Default.

I/O Channel Selector pop-up menu

To conﬁgure I/O routing in I/O Setup:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setups in Pro Tools.

2 Click the Input, or Output tab to display the

appropriate window.

3 Click on the Selector for the ﬁrst channel pair,

located below the ﬁrst audio interface display.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 63

4 From the pop-up menu, select a physical port

pair (such as Analog 1–2), that will be routed to a Pro Tools input or output channel pair (such as (Ch 1–2).

5 Repeat the above step for other channel pairs,

and other audio interfaces.

6 When ﬁnished, click Ok.

Refer to the guide for your audio interface for sample rate, and other restrictions. For example, the Optical 1–8 channels will not be available for session rates of 88.4 or higher.

To route a Pro Tools output pair to multiple audio interface output ports:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setups in Pro Tools.

2 Click the Output tab.

3 Click on the Output Selector for the output

pair from which you will be routing signal.

4 From the pop-up menu, select a physical port

pair (such as Analog 1–2).

Pro Tools outputs pairs can also be routed to multiple audio interface outputs in Hardware Setup. For more information, see “Hardware Setup” on page 39.

Creating and Editing Paths

The I/O Setup dialog lets you create and customize signal path deﬁnitions.

Paths can be:

• Renamed, for easier identiﬁcation after changing or renaming audio interfaces

• Remapped, to or from different sources or destinations

• De-activated (or re-activated) to manage unavailable or unnecessary I/O resources

• Deleted

In addition, you can import and export your I/O Setup conﬁgurations as I/O Settings ﬁles, as well as set numerous default path parameters.

In order to create a new path, the output assignments cannot overlap. See “Valid Paths and Requirements” on page 68 for details.

5 Ctrl+Shift an additional output destination.

The output name updates with a plus sign (“+”) before it.

To verify which output ports have been routed, select the original output: In the pop-up menu, each output assigned to the Pro Tools output channel pair will have a check mark next to it.

6 Select additional output destinations, as de-

sired. The only limit to output choices is the number of outputs available in your system.

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The following table lists the available path attributes for each path type.

Path Options by Type

Path Type Path Options (Attributes)

Input Names, formats, and source

channel (analog or digital audio interface, or CPU input)

Output Names, formats, and destination

(audio interface output channel or internal send bus)

Insert Names, formats and destination

(audio interface channels)

Bus Names and formats

SampleCell (MIX-series only)

Input names

Creating a Default Main or Sub-Path

You can add (or reset) default paths to your current I/O Setup path (such as Input, Output, and so on) at any time.

To add default mono or stereo paths:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, Bus, or Sam-

pleCell tab to display the appropriate path window. (SampleCell paths are available on MIXseries systems only.)

3 Click Default.

Pro Tools creates all possible stereo main paths. Mono sub-paths are also auto-created for every stereo main path. The path names are appended with their associated format—mono or stereo— in parentheses (when viewed with track Input or Output Selectors).

2 Click the Input, Output, Insert, Bus, or Sam-

pleCell tab to display the appropriate path window. (SampleCell paths are available on MIXseries systems only.)

3 Click New Path, or press Command+N (Mac-

intosh) or Control+N (Windows). Or, select a main path and click New Sub-Path.

4 Double-click in the Name ﬁeld and enter a

name for the path. (The path name is what is listed in Pro Tools track routing selectors.) Press Tab to move to the next editable ﬁeld, or press Enter to set the new path name (pressing Return will close the I/O Setup dialog).

5 Choose a format from the Path Format Selec-

tor. (Path Format controls whether the path is mono, stereo, or multichannel.)

Default stereo output paths

To optimize mixer and DSP resources, it’s best to create mono sub-paths for Outputs and Busses, rather than create mono main paths.

Creating New Paths

You can create new main path and sub-paths with custom names, format, and mapping.

To create a new path:

1 Choose Setups > I/O Setup.

Path Format Selector

6 Conﬁgure other path types (Input, Output, In-

sert, Bus, or SampleCell) and conﬁgure them using the same techniques described in the previous steps.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 65

7 Click OK (or press Return) to close the

I/O Setup dialog. If there are any overlapping or identically named paths, you will be instructed to correct them before the I/O Setup dialog will close. For more information, see “Initializing I/O Setup” on page 68.

Multichannel paths and mixing are explained in Chapter 31, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround.”

Selecting and Editing Paths

Individual and multiple paths can be selected in the I/O Setup dialog Path Name column. Once selected, paths and sub-paths can be moved higher or lower to sort their listing in track Path Format Selectors, renamed, remapped, or reformatted. Paths can also be deleted. Sub-paths follow their main paths when editing in the I/O Setup dialog.

Resetting Paths

The Default button in the I/O Setup dialog provides two primary functions:

• Creates new, default paths up to the capacity of your system’s available audio interfaces and resources. See “Creating a Default Main or Sub-Path” on page 65.

• Resets selected path names to matching or corresponding paths in the current I/O Setup conﬁguration. For example, if you change modes on Digi 001, or replace an audio interface on a Pro Tools HD-series or MIX-series system, you can use the Default switch to update your I/O Setup deﬁnitions with the new hardware conﬁguration (for path naming).

On TDM systems, audio interface names can be customized. See “TDM Audio Interface Names” on page 66.

To select a main path or sub-path:

■ Click the path name.

To select multiple main paths and/or sub-paths:

■ Shift-click the desired path names.

To rearrange path names:

■ Drag one or more path names up or down.

Selecting paths in the I/O Setup dialog

Pro Tools Reference Guide66

To reset path names:

■ Click Default.

Assuming there are matching paths available with the new system configuration, existing paths will be updated to include new audio interfaces (TDM systems), or I/O mode selection (Digi 001 only).

TDM Audio Interface Names

With TDM-equipped Pro Tools systems, audio interfaces can be custom named in the I/O Setup dialog. The I/O Setup dialog bases default path names on the name shown above the graphic representation of each interface.

To rename an audio interface in the I/O Setup dialog:

■ Double-click the text above an interface, enter

a new interface name, and press Enter.

Channel Mapping

Once a path has been created and formatted, it can be mapped to specific audio interface, bus, or SampleCell channels in the Grid.

Interface name

Deleting Paths

Path definitions can be deleted from the current session to reflect changes to your hardware setup, or to clean up track selector menus by removing unwanted or unnecessary path definitions. After deleting a path, any tracks or send assignments to it are reset to No Output.

To delete a main path or sub-path:

1 In the I/O Setup dialog, select the path you

want to delete.

2 Click Delete Path.

To delete all paths:

1 Option-click on any path name.

2 Click the Delete Path button or press the De-

lete key.

To map channels:

1 Select a main or sub-path.

2 In the row for the selected path, click in the

Grid column under the desired audio interface and channel. Other channels, if any, ﬁll to the right.

Mapping channels

For example, when mapping a new stereo path, clicking in the path row under output channel 1 ﬁlls both channel 1 and 2 (left to 1, right to 2).

To remap channels in a path, refer to “Remapping Channels” on page 68.

Channel and I/O Status Display

The Channel Grid uses different shades of gray to highlight different I/O status:

White Indicates channels available for the path.

Medium Gray Indicates I/O that overlaps with

other path definitions (possible with Output and Bus path arrangements, though with limitations as described in “Overlapping Channels and Valid Paths” on page 69).

Dark Gray Indicates channels that are unavailable for sub-path assignment.

Light Gray Indicates extra space beyond recognized audio interfaces.

See “Valid Paths and Requirements” on page 68 for details.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 67

Note for Session Transfer

Channel Shufﬂing

Pro Tools shows paths for unavailable I/O until they are explicitly re-assigned to valid paths, or deleted. See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 69 for more information.

Channel Mapping and Surround Mixer

(Pro Tools HD-Series and MIX-Series Systems Only)

When mapping multichannel paths, L is mapped first to the clicked Grid box, and remaining channels fill immediately to the right according to the default path order. Because some multichannel mixing formats use unique track layouts, Pro Tools lets you set the default format in the I/O Setup dialog (see “Default Output, Meter, Audition, and Default Path Order I/O Setup Options” on page 73).

Moving a signal from right to left results in a shuffle of other signals after the new destination channel. Moving a signal from left to right shuffles any and all signals after the new destination channel and leave the previous channel empty.

Changing a path’s format erases any current channel mapping.

Sub-Paths Follow Main Paths

When a main path is remapped, its sub-paths (if any) will remap automatically to maintain consistent routing. For example, remapping a stereo path to different hardware outputs results in any of its sub-paths moving with it.

Initializing I/O Setup

To set the current I/O Setup conﬁguration:

■ Click OK in the I/O Setup dialog.

All paths must be valid before the I/O Setup configuration can be applied.

Customized Output paths for a 5.1 mix

Remapping Channels

You can move the individual assignments to different channels, to re-order the path’s definition (for example, changing a multichannel map to L-R-C-Sub-LS-RS).

To remap channels in a path:

■ Drag the channel to the new location in the

Grid. Other channel assignments will move (shufﬂe) to accommodate dragged channels.

Pro Tools Reference Guide68

Valid Paths and Requirements

While configuring the I/O Setup window, certain rules apply for path definition and channel mapping.

Though it is possible to set up invalid mappings in the Channel Grid, Pro Tools will not accept (OK) an I/O Setup configuration unless all paths meet the path definition and channel mapping requirements described below.

Minimum Path Deﬁnitions

All paths must have a name, be of a specific format, and have a valid I/O mapping.

Overlapping Channels and Valid Paths

Channel mapping follows certain rules regarding overlapping paths.

◆ There can be no partial or complete overlaps

between any two main Output paths, any two Insert paths, or any two main Bus paths.

◆ A newly-created Output or Bus path must ei-

ther be completely independent of other maps (not mapped to any other available I/O interface/channels), or it must be a sub-path completely contained within a larger path (for example, an LCR sub-path within a larger 5.1 path).

◆ Output and Insert paths can overlap in I/O

Setup, but only one or the other can be used at any given time in a session. (Inputs and SampleCell paths, however, can be routed to multiple tracks.)

Session-Wide Path Assignments Paths can be globally activated or de-activated in the I/O Setup window. Use this to turn off a signal path on any and all tracks currently assigned to it. Pro Tools also sets unavailable paths to inactive. Paths can be unavailable when hardware or other system resources are unavailable, such as when opening a session last saved on a different system.

Track Path Assignments

(Mix and Edit Windows)

To toggle a track path assignment to Active or Inactive:

■ In the Mix (or Edit) window, Command-Con-

trol-click (Macintosh) or Control-Start-click (Windows) the track’s Input, Output, Insert, or Send Selector.

Inactive track path assignments are indicated with an asterisk (*) in its track selector menu. (Paths set to globally inactive in the I/O Setup window are listed in italics.)

Active and Inactive Paths

Pro Tools paths can be Active (on) or Inactive (off, or unavailable). You can manually switch paths between Active or Inactive on a per track or session-wide basis. In addition, Pro Tools sets paths to Inactive automatically when I/O is unavailable.

Track Path Assignments Track input, output, and bus path assignments can be switched to Inactive using the appropriate selector on the desired track. Doing so leaves track playlists intact, while disconnecting that particular track from the output or bus path. Use this to remove a track from a signal path.

Toggling All or All Selected

The Option (Macintosh) and Alt (Windows) modifiers apply the path toggle to all tracks. The Option+Shift (Macintosh) or Alt+Shift (Windows) modifiers apply the path toggle to all selected tracks. However, Pro Tools will only apply the change to identical path assignments, if any, in the current track or tracks. In other words, toggling multiple tracks only affects tracks that have the same path assignment as the one you are explicitly toggling.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 69

Toggling Multiple Paths

If a track has only one main output assignment, you can Command-Control-click (Macintosh) or Control-start-click (Windows) the track’s Output Selector to toggle the main output to inactive. When there are multiple assignments, the track selector will be displayed for you to specify the input, output, insert, or bus path.

If a Send (A and one of those is toggled, then all of the output assignments for that Send (A gled.

–E) has multiple output assignments

–E) will be tog-

Session-Wide Path Assignments

(I/O Setup Dialog)

Paths can be globally configured for Active or Inactive status in the I/O Setup Dialog.

Display of Active and Inactive Status

Unhighlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is inac-

tive.

To globally de-activate or activate a path:

1 Choose Setup > I/O Setup.

2 Select the appropriate path type using the tabs

at the top of the window.

3 For the desired (or, undesired) path, set the Ac-

tive/Inactive control to the appropriate choice.

Any track path assignment can also be deactivated on a per-track basis. See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 69

Inactive paths are displayed in italics in the track path selectors.

Highlighted (Non-Italics) Indicates the path is active.

Highlighted (Italics) Indicates the path is active, but there are not enough system resources available.

Inactive

Active

Active and inactive path settings in I/O Setup

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Active and inactive paths in a track Output Selector

Hardware Setup and Session Transfer

Sessions created in Pro Tools 5.1 and later store the type and order of audio interfaces connected and active when the session was last saved.

Unavailable I/O

When opening any session, Pro Tools checks to see if the hardware conﬁguration has changed since the session was last saved. If the current hardware conﬁguration differs from that saved in the session, paths associated with the unavailable I/O are made inactive.

Remapping

Remapping occurs when a session’s original I/O Setup does not match that of the current system and session paths are remapped to current hardware.

Systems of equivalent I/O capability are remapped directly. For example, a session tracked to a Pro Tools HD-series system through two 192 I/O Audio Interfaces would include 32 Input paths spread across the two 16-channel interfaces. Later, for additional editing, the session is taken to a different Pro Tools system that has a 96 I/O Audio Interface (a 16-channel I/O unit) with a 1622 Audio Interface (a 16-channel I/O unit) connected to its Legacy Port. When the session is first opened on the system with the 96 I/O and 1622 Audio Interfaces, Pro Tools maps those input paths to the most appropriate inputs of the two interfaces, left-to-right. (Mapping will depend on mono and stereo track format and arrangement in the Mix and Edit windows.)

When hardware is unavailable to a session being opened, assignments can either be replaced using the remap option, or opened as Inactive. Any tracks left assigned to an unavailable path will not be audible. This can be beneficial, however, when you want to re-assign tracks into your system’s mix one at a time.

See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 69 for more information.

Show Original Setup and Show Current Setup

When a session is opened that contains path definitions for unavailable I/O modules, the I/O Setup dialog lists those paths in italics.

The Show Original Setup button displays the audio interfaces used in the original session. This temporary display lets you check the original I/O configuration for reference while configuring the session for your system.

Once a session has been opened with unavailable I/O retained, you can then re-assign tracks to available I/O paths.

To redefine the paths, see “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 64.

I/O Settings Files

I/O Settings can be managed when transferring sessions, and when developing I/O Setup configurations over the course of multiple sessions and projects.

Defaults, Settings Files, and Last Used Settings for New Sessions

When creating new sessions, you can select the session’s I/O Setup configuration from among numerous options:

Default I/O Setups The Pro Tools Installer provides factory presets for stereo and surround I/O Setups (surround mixing is only supported on Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems). See “Factory I/O Settings Files” on page 72 for more information.

Custom Presets You can store and recall custom presets using the export and import features of the I/O Setup dialog.

Last Used The most recent (or, last used) I/O Setup configuration is saved as a Last Used settings file. See “Last Used” on page 72 for more information.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 71

Default I/O Settings at First Launch

The first time you create a session, you can choose default Stereo Mix or Surround Mix settings, depending on your system and installation choices. See “Factory I/O Settings Files” on page 72.

Select Yes to remap the original session path definitions to your current hardware setup of audio interfaces, left to right. The session will no longer have any references to or record of the original I/O assignments. When old path definitions are deleted, associated assignment and automation data is also deleted.

Importing and Exporting I/O Settings Files

You can export and import I/O Setup conﬁgurations as I/O Settings ﬁles. This lets you save settings for different projects, import settings for quick reconﬁguration, and manage path deﬁnitions and signal routing setups.

Exporting I/O Settings

To export and save an I/O Setup conﬁguration:

1 Click the Export Settings button.

2 Name and save the settings ﬁle.

To start sessions with a blank or empty I/O Setup dialog, you must create and export a user setting file in which all definitions have been deleted.

Importing I/O Settings

I/O Settings can be imported into the current session. When doing so, you can choose to delete your system’s existing (last used) path deﬁnitions and replace them with settings being imported. Or, you can retain both your current and imported settings. Imported paths are added to the current conﬁguration.

To import an I/O Settings ﬁle:

1 Click Import Settings in the I/O Setup dialog.

2 Select the desired settings ﬁle in the dialog.

Select No to add session paths to the current system’s I/O Setup. If you cancel the remap option, the original I/O assignments remain in the session. Unavailable I/O results in paths opening as Inactive. In the session, you can then re-assign tracks to available paths as needed, based on their original (and inactive) I/O Setup and hardware configuration. See “Active and Inactive Paths” on page 69 for more information on utilizing inactive paths.

Last Used

If any changes are made to the I/O Setup dialog during a session, these changes are saved to the Last Used settings ﬁle when the I/O Setup dialog is closed (by clicking OK).

Changes to I/O Setup are only saved in the current session, when the session is saved. User Presets files will not contain recent changes unless you explicitly export an updated settings file.

The Last Used settings are available as a choice (or default) when creating or opening sessions, in addition to the factory presets described below.

Factory I/O Settings Files

Pro Tools provides I/O Settings files for Stereo and Surround mixing. These files provide generic main and sub-path definitions for either mixing format.

3 You will be asked whether you want to delete,

or retain, existing paths.

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Stereo Mix Settings File

The Stereo Mix preset consists of all possible stereo and mono paths for your session.

Using the “Stereo Mix” preset has the same effect as hitting the Default button for every individual tab in I/O Settings. See “Creating and Editing Paths” on page 64 for details.

Specifically, the Stereo Mix preset will create the maximum number paths of each type, as determined by the available system’s I/O Setup and hardware configuration.

Surround Mix Settings File (TDM Systems Only)

The Surround Mix provides additional, surround-specific Output and Bus presets. See “Surround Mix Settings Files” on page 433 for more information.

About Direct Out Mode

Direct Outputs mode, as found in older versions of Pro Tools, has been replaced by the default mono sub-paths available through all valid I/O in the I/O Setup dialog.

The Default switch creates main Output paths with appropriate mono sub-paths. These subpaths provide discrete monophonic routing.

When a session is opened that was saved in Direct Outputs mode, Pro Tools maps all the output assignments to equivalent mono sub-paths (as available). See “Hardware Setup and Session Transfer” on page 70 for more information on remapping.

To auto assign track outputs for Direct Out:

1 Make sure that all tracks are visible if desired

(because the hidden tracks will not be affected).

2 Select all desired tracks (Shift-click each track

name).

3 Command-Option-click (Macintosh) or Con-

trol-Alt-click (Windows) the Output Selector of the left-most track and assign it to the sub-path for Output #1. All visible tracks will be auto-assigned to unique mono sub-path outputs in ascending order.

Default Output, Meter, Audition, and Default Path Order I/O Setup Options

Pro Tools systems have additional I/O Setup features. These include default signal routing for metering and auditioning, and default track layout for multichannel mix formats.

Default Output Path

You can specify the default Output path assignment for new tracks, in each available format.

To specify a default Output in I/O Setup window:

■ Select a format and Output path from the de-

fault Output Selector.

To convert a session so that it emulates Direct Outs mode, use the Auto Assign Ascending Outputs feature:

Selecting default Output paths

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 73

Audition Path

The Audition path is the output path through which ﬁles and regions are previewed (listened to) in the Regions List.

To audition regions in the Regions List:

■ Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Win-

dows) the region in the list.

To conﬁgure Audition Paths:

■ Select the desired path from the Audition

path menu or submenus.

Using Default Audition Path

When you audition a file or region in the Regions List, Pro Tools routes the audition through the Audition path. Pro Tools assigns a default Audition path to the first main Output path of the given format available. As an alternative, you can pre-configure Region List previewing using the Audition Path Selector in the I/O Setup dialog.

In TDM systems with more than one audio interface, you can only select the first audio interface as an Audition path (output). Select the Audition path from the Audition pop-up menu in I/O Setup.

Conﬁguring Audition Paths

You can specify the monitoring outputs for Regions List auditioning on a per-format basis using the Audition paths menu.

Audition Path Main Menu The main menu consists of all path format choices available on the current system (Mono and Stereo on all systems, LCR and greater on surround-capable systems).

Audition Path Submenus Each path format choice has a submenu listing Output paths of that given format. (The mono submenu lists Output paths of any format.)

Selecting default Audition paths

Auditioning Discrete Signals in Multichannel Items

In the Audio Regions List, multichannel regions are auditioned through the current Audition path. Signals can be auditioned “in-place,” or through all outputs, as described below.

Audition In-Place

When auditioning a mono component of a multichannel region, that mono component will by default be auditioned in-place. That is, it will play out the corresponding speaker channel of its parent multichannel region.

To audition in-place:

1 In the Regions List, make sure the stereo or

multichannel region is in expanded view (showing .L,.R, and other component channels).

2 Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Win-

dows) the region for the desired channel.

Audition to All Outputs

Mono regions can be routed equally to all outputs of the parent region’s Audition path.

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To audition through all channels of the main audition path:

■ Shift-Option-click (Macintosh) or Shift-Alt-

click (Windows) on the signal in the Regions List.

Default Path Order

(TDM Systems Only)

The Default Path Order Selector lets you select the default track layout you want Pro Tools to follow when creating and mapping 5.1-format main or sub-paths in the I/O Setup dialog.

This setting does not affect existing path definitions or metering—it only specifies channel mapping in new 5.1-format paths.

To choose a Default Path Order:

■ Select the channel mapping from the Default

Path Order menu.

Default Path Order Selector

For more information about multichannel mixing, see Chapter 31, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround.”

Meter Path Selector

(ProControl Users Only)

The Meter Path Selector determines the path displayed across the ProControl Output meters. See the latest ProControl documentation for more details.

Chapter 7: I/O Setup 75

Pro Tools Reference Guide76

Chapter 8: Tracks

This chapter covers basic track management tasks such as creating and deleting tracks, assigning voices and output channels, and grouping tracks.

Track Types

In a Pro Tools session, you can have several different types of tracks. These can include audio tracks, Auxiliary Input tracks, MIDI tracks, and Master Fader tracks. On a Macintosh system, a session can have a QuickTime, AVoption, or AVoption XL Movie track.

QuickTime Movie track features are described in Chapter 36, “Working with QuickTime Movies.”

Audio Tracks, Auxiliary Input Tracks, and Master Fader Tracks

Pro Tools provides mono, stereo, and multichannel format audio tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, and Master Faders.

Auxiliary Input Track

Auxiliary Input tracks can be used as effects sends, destinations for an alternate mix, as a bounce destination, as inputs to monitor or process audio (such as audio from MIDI sources), and for many other audio routing tasks.

Master Fader Track

Master Fader tracks control the overall level of the audio tracks that are routed to the session’s main output “paths.” For example, you could have 24 tracks, with Pro Tools channels 1–8 routed to Analog Output 1–2, channels 9–16 to Analog Output 3–4, and channels 17–24 to Analog Output 5–6. You could then create three master faders to control each of these eightchannel groups.

MIDI Tracks

MIDI tracks store MIDI note, instrument, and controller data. There is no option for selecting the track format when you create a MIDI track, because audio does not pass through it.

Audio Track

Audio tracks contain arrangements of recorded (or imported) audio files. Audio tracks can be mono, stereo, or multichannel surround (Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems only).

Track Formats

Mono

A mono audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader track controls volume, and, in some cases, panning, for a single channel of audio. A mono track uses a single voice.

Chapter 8: Tracks 77

Stereo

A stereo audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader track is a single channel strip that plays two channels of audio as a stereo pair. Stereo tracks use two voices.

Multichannel Surround (Pro Tools HD-Series and MIX-Series Systems Only)

A multichannel track is a single channel strip that plays multiple channels of audio (from 3–8 channels at a time). This allows Pro Tools to support multichannel mixing formats including 3+1, 5.1, 6.1, and others.

For more information on surround mixing with Pro Tools, see the following chapters:

• Chapter 31, “Pro Tools Setup for Surround”

• Chapter 32, “Multichannel Tracks and Signal Routing”

• Chapter 33, “Surround Panning and Mixing”

Audio tracks can be added to a session with the New Track command.

Inserts

Sends

Input/Output

Automation

Record Enable/Solo/Mute/Voice

Pan Slider

Open Output window

Group ID

Volume (or monitor) Level fader

Level Meter

Audio Track/Channel Strip

Each audio track has its own set of controls for volume, pan, panner window, record enable, automation mode, solo, mute, comments, and (on TDM systems) voice assignment.

With slight variations, audio track channel strips in the Mix window look like the following mono audio track. Stereo audio tracks have two level meters and two pan controls; multichannel tracks (3–8 channels) have one level meter for each audio channel.

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Track Type Indicator

Track Name

Track Comment

Audio track channel strip

MIDI Track/Channel Strip

MIDI Channel

Automation

Record Enable/Program/Solo/Mute

MIDI Pan

MIDI Volume Level Fader

MIDI Velocity Meter

Track Name

MIDI channel strip

Each MIDI track has its own set of controls for volume, pan, record enable, automation mode, solo, mute, MIDI patch assignment (program change), and MIDI channel assignment. MIDI tracks can be added to a session with the New Track command.

To show the I/O View:

■ Select Display > Mix Window Shows (or Edit

Window Shows) > I/O View.

Level/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator

The Indicator on an audio track has three modes: Level Indicator, Peak Indicator, and Channel Delay Indicator. Command-click (Macintosh) or Control-Click (Windows) this button to toggle between these modes.

Level Indicator Shows the current volume, or input level of a track as set by the track Volume Level fader.

Peak Indicator Functions as a headroom indicator based on the last peak playback level. To reset the peak counter, click anywhere in the meter. Values range from +6 dB (highest level

signal), to ∞ (no signal).

Channel Delay Indicator Shows the total delay, in samples, incurred on the track, specifically from the use of any TDM plug-ins on that channel.

Pan Indicator

Input/Output View

Input Selector

Output Selector (or MIDI Device/Channel Selector)

Level/Peak/Channel Delay Indicator

Pan Indicator

Inputs/Outputs View in channel strip

The I/O View shows Input and Output Selectors on audio and MIDI tracks. Both types of tracks show volume and pan values in this view. For details on Input and Output Selectors, see “Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Audio Tracks (and Other Tracks)” on page 84.

The Pan Indicator displays the current pan setting of a track. Pan values range from <100 (full left) to 100> (full right). Pan controls are only available for stereo tracks or mono tracks routed to a stereo output.

Pan Slider

The Pan slider controls the balance of a track between the assigned output pair. It only appears if you are using stereo tracks or mono tacks routed to a stereo output.

The Pan slider on a MIDI track is only effective if you are controlling a sound module that supports MIDI panning.

Chapter 8: Tracks 79

Track Level Fader

The track level fader controls the volume of a track when it is in playback, and the monitor level of the track when it is in record. You can link the record and monitor levels by enabling the Operation Preference for “Link Record and Play Faders.”

The level fader on a MIDI track is only effective if you are controlling a sound module that supports MIDI volume.

Track Level Meter

On audio tracks, level meters indicate the level of the signal being recorded or played back from the hard drive. Green indicates nominal levels; Yellow indicates pre-clipping (–6 dB below full scale); and Red indicates clipping. When a track is record-enabled, these meters indicate record levels.

You can globally set level meters to indicate preor post-fader levels by selecting or de-selecting Operations > Pre-Fader Metering. When prefader metering is selected, the level meters show levels independent of fader position. With postfader metering, the level meters respond to fader position.

If clipping occurs, the topmost LED will stay lit (red). In addition, Pro Tools meters provide a peak hold feature with three options:

To choose a peak hold setting:

■ Choose Setups > Preferences, click Display,

and select one of the Peak Hold options: 3 Second Peak Hold, Inﬁnite Peak Hold, or No Peak Hold.

Clearing a Meter

To clear all meters:

■ Option-click (Macintosh) or Alt-click (Win-

dows) any meter.

On MIDI tracks, the level meter shows the MIDI velocity of the most recent MIDI event.

Track Comments View

The Comments View shows any comments entered in the Track Name/Comments dialog. You can also type directly in the Comments area for each track when it is displayed.

To display the Comments View:

■ Select Display > Mix Window Shows (or Edit

Window Shows) > Comments.

Creating Tracks

On all systems, you can create mono and stereo tracks with the New Tracks command. In addition, on Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems, you can create multichannel tracks.

When new tracks are created, they are given a default name which can be changed at any time by double-clicking the track name and typing in a new name.

Before you create new tracks:

◆ For new tracks to appear next to a speciﬁc

track in a session, select that track by clicking its name (in its track channel strip). The new tracks are added immediately after the selected track.

◆ For new tracks to appear as the last tracks in a

session, make sure that no track names are selected on-screen.

You can clear a meter’s clipping or peak hold indicator by clicking anywhere on the meter.

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To create a new track:

1 Choose File > New Track.

Track Format

number of new tracks

New Track dialog (audio track)

2 Select from the Track Type pop-up menu the

Track Type

type of track you want to add. For explanation of track types, see “Track Types” on page 77.

Naming Tracks and Adding Track Comments

Besides assigning a name to a track channel strip, track names are used to auto-name recorded audio files and regions (see “Track Names” on page 122).

Track Name/Comments dialog

To auto-scroll the Track Type pop-up in the New Track dialog, press Command (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) and use the Up/Down Arrow keys.

3 Select Mono or Stereo (or one of the multi-

channel surround formats) from the Track Format pop-up menu. Surround formats only appear for Pro Tools HD-series and MIX-series systems.

To auto-scroll the format selector, press Command (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) and use the Left/Right Arrow keys.

4 Enter the number of new tracks, then click

Create.

5 To conﬁgure which track controls appear in

the Mix window or Edit window, select from Display > Mix Window Shows and Display > Edit Window Shows.

To rename a track or add comments:

1 In the Edit window or Mix window, double-

click the Track Name button for the track you want to rename.

2 In the Track Name/Comments dialog, type a

new track name.

– or –

Click Previous or Next to rename another displayed track.

To move to the previous or next track in the Track Name/Comments dialog, you can press Command (Macintosh) or Control (Windows) and use the Up/Down Arrows.

3 If desired, type comments for the track in the

Comments text box.

To enter a carriage return in the Comments text box, type Shift+Return (Macintosh) or Shift+Enter (Windows) on the alpha keyboard.

4 When you are ﬁnished, click OK.

Chapter 8: Tracks 81

Deleting Tracks

When you delete tracks, your audio or MIDI region data will remain in the Regions List, but your arrangement of the regions on the deleted track (the track’s playlist) will be lost.

The Delete Selected Tracks command cannot be undone.

To delete a track:

1 Click the name of the desired track (in its track

channel strip) to select it.

If you wish to select multiple tracks, hold down the Shift key and click additional track names to select them as well.

2 Choose File > Delete Selected Tracks.

3 Click OK to remove the selected tracks from

the session.

Duplicating Tracks

Hiding Tracks

The Show/Hide Tracks List (at the left of both the Mix and Edit windows) lists all tracks in the session. It allows you to show or hide a track in the Mix and Edit windows, by selecting or deselecting its name. Even though a track is hidden, the material on the track will still play as part of the session. Inactive tracks appear in italics in the Show/Hide Tracks List.

To show a track, click and highlight its name in the Show/Hide List. To hide a track, deselect its name.

The Duplicate Selected Tracks command allows you to duplicate one or more tracks, including their audio or MIDI data, playlists, automation, and other attributes.

To duplicate a track:

1 Click the name of the desired track (in its track

channel strip) to select it.

If you wish to select multiple tracks, hold down the Shift key and click additional track names to select them as well.

2 Choose File > Duplicate Selected Tracks. Each

duplicate track is created to the right of its original track.

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Show/Hide Tracks List

The pop-up menu at the top of the Show/Hide Tracks List provides commands that allow you to show or hide all tracks, tracks currently selected on-screen, or specific types of tracks (audio, MIDI, Auxiliary Input or Master Fader).

Show Only option

The Sort Tracks By command allows you to set the track order according to Name, Type, Edit Group, Mix Group or Voice. The sort order will be reflected in the Show/Hide Tracks List in the Edit Window and the Mix Window.

To hide all tracks:

1 Click the Show/Hide button at the top of the

Show/Hide Tracks List.

2 From the pop-up menu, choose Hide All

Tracks.

To reorder tracks on-screen, drag the track names to new positions within the Show/Hide Tracks List.

About Groups and Show/Hide Tracks

Sort Tracks By option

When a track that is a member of an active group is hidden from view, editing operations performed on other members of the group in the Edit window will not affect the hidden track. In the Mix window, however, all operations other than record-enable will affect a hidden track that is a member of an active group.

On TDM systems, even if a track is hidden from view, its position relative to other tracks still affects voiceable track playback priority. See “Making Tracks Inactive” on page 90.

To hide a track:

■ Click the highlighted name of a track in the

Show/Hide Tracks List.

To show a track that is currently hidden:

■ Click the unhighlighted name of a track in

the Show/Hide Tracks List.

Even if a track is hidden, if it is a member of an enabled group and active, all Mix window operations performed on other members of the group will also affect the hidden track—with the exception of audio or MIDI record-enabling. If you solo, mute, or automation write-enable a grouped track, any group members that are hidden will be soloed, muted, or automation writeenabled as well. These functions are not applied to hidden tracks.

In the Edit window, however, editing operations performed on members of an enabled group will not affect hidden tracks that are also members of the enabled group.

On TDM systems, even if a track is hidden from view, its position relative to other tracks still affects its voiceable track playback priority (see “Voiceable Tracks and Track Priority” on page 87

for details).

To show all tracks:

1 Click the Show/Hide button at the top of the

Show/Hide Tracks List.

2 From the pop-up menu, choose Show All

Tracks.

Chapter 8: Tracks 83

Assigning Inputs and Outputs to Audio Tracks (and Other Tracks)

Inputs for audio tracks and Auxiliary Input tracks can be assigned to audio interface channels or busses. Outputs for audio tracks, Auxiliary Input tracks, and Master Fader tracks can be assigned to audio interface channels or busses.

Track set to

Audio Input 2

Track set to

Bus 2

Input/output assignments for three mono audio tracks

For stereo and multichannel surround tracks, inputs and outputs appear as stereo pairs and multichannel groups. The available inputs, outputs, and busses are defined as paths in the I/O Setup dialog (see Chapter 7, “I/O Setup”).

Track set to

No Input

Assigning Audio Track Inputs

(Audio and Auxiliary Input Tracks)

To assign an audio track input:

1 In the Edit window, select Display > Edit Win-

dow Show > I/O View.

2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track In-

put Selector and choose from the available audio interface channels and busses. Stereo and multichannel surround tracks have inputs available as pairs and multichannel groups.

The Input Selector allows you to route any audio input or any of the Pro Tools internal busses to an audio track or an Auxiliary Input track. The choices available in this pop-up menu are determined by the I/O Setup configuration. Inputs in use by another track appear as bold in the Input Selector.

‘

Automatic Input and Output Assignments

When adding tracks to a new session, inputs are automatically assigned in ascending order. For example, if you have an audio interface with eight inputs, creating four new mono audio tracks will automatically add four audio tracks with inputs assigned to the ﬁrst four paths deﬁned in the I/O Setup dialog. When creating stereo tracks, inputs are automatically assigned to ascending input pairs.

The outputs automatically assigned to new tracks are determined by the Default Output defined in the I/O Setup dialog.

Pro Tools Reference Guide84

Audio track Input Selector

To remove an input assign:

■ Select No Input from the Input Selector.

Assigning Audio Track Outputs

(Audio Tracks, Auxiliary Inputs, Master Faders)

To assign an audio track output:

1 To display inputs and outputs in the Edit win-

dow, select Display > Edit Window Show > I/O View.

2 In the Mix or Edit window, click the track Out-

put Selector and choose from the available audio interface channels and busses. Stereo and multichannel surround tracks have outputs available as pairs and multichannel groups.

Audio track Output Selector

The Output Selector allows you to route a track to any configured audio output or internal bus. The choices available in this pop-up menu are determined by the I/O Setup configuration. Outputs in use by another track appear as bold in the Input Selector.

If you want to auto-assign all visible tracks to unique mono sub-path outputs in ascending order, Command-Option-click (Macintosh) or Control-Alt-click (Windows) the Output Selector of the left-most track and assign it to the subpath for Output #1. All visible tracks will be auto-assigned to unique mono sub-path outputs in ascending order.

To remove an output assign:

■ Select No Output from the Input Selector.

Playlists become dimmed for tracks with no output assignment.

Assigning an audio track, Auxiliary Input, or Master Fader to “No Output” will cause its automation data for pan and plug-in parameters to be lost.

Assigning Voices and Track Priority

(TDM Systems Only)

Each TDM system provides a specific number of voices (simultaneous voices of playback and record). For example, a Pro Tools|HD 1 system can provide up to 96 voices of playback and record, at 44.1 kHz. (Refer to Table 1 on page 7.)

While your Pro Tools hardware allows a fixed number of voices, Pro Tools software provides additional tracks that can share these voices. The combination of playback/record tracks and shared voiced tracks is the total voiceable tracks for a system. For example, a 44.1 kHz session on a Pro Tools|HD 1 system can have 96 voices, spread across up to 256 tracks. While all of these tracks can be recorded or imported, arranged, and cued for playback, not all of them can be played back simultaneously.

When tracks exceed the number of available voices, tracks with lower priority may not be heard. For these situations, Pro Tools assigns priorities for tracks that compete for the available voices. Because there can be more tracks than available voices, Pro Tools provides multiple ways of adjusting playback priority to audio tracks.

Tracks do not use up voices when:

• Their Voice Selector is set to Off.

• They are made inactive.

• They do not have an output and send assignment.

Chapter 8: Tracks 85

In addition, you can temporarily free a track’s voice during playback by muting it (see “Mute Frees Assigned Voice” on page 90).

Voice Assignment

Tracks can be assigned to a specific voice, or they can be set to Auto. When tracks are autovoiced, Pro Tools automatically takes care of voice management in the background—assigning voices not in use by other tracks.

Tracks assigned to a specific voice number take priority over auto-voiced tracks. To ensure a track is heard, or that it is available for QuickPunch recording, assign it a voice.

To set the voice assignment for a track:

■ Click the Voice Selector and select a voice

number, or set the track to Auto.

Automatic Assignment of Ascending Voices

You can automatically assign all tracks or all selected tracks to successive voices. For example, you may want to select eight audio tracks and reassign them to voices 9–16.

To assign all audio tracks to successive voices:

■ While pressing Command+Option (Macin-

tosh) or Control+Alt (Windows), select the starting voice number from the Voice Selector for the track at the top of the Edit window, or at the far left of the Mix window.

The voice is assigned to the clicked track, with successive voices assigned to tracks (with the same format) of lower priority.

To assign all selected audio tracks to successive voices:

1 Select the desired audio tracks by Shift-click-

ing their names.

2 While pressing Command+Option (Macin-

tosh) or Control+Shift (Windows), select the starting voice number from the Voice Selector for the top (Edit window) or left (Mix window) selected track.

Voice Selector for stereo audio track

For stereo and multichannel tracks, voices appear in pairs and multichannel groups. Voices already assigned to another track appear in bold in the Voice Selector pop-up menu.

Pro Tools Reference Guide86

The voice is assigned to the clicked track, with successive voices assigned to currently selected tracks (with the same format) of lower priority.

Pinnacle Systems Pro Tools MIX - 5.1.1 Reference Guide

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Conventions Used in These Guides

Choose and Select

Compatibility Information

Digidesign Registration

TDM-Equipped Systems

HD-Series Systems

MIX-Series Systems

Supported Audio Interfaces

TDM System Playback, Recording and Voice Limits

Audio Interfaces for TDM Systems

Hard Disk Audio Recording

The Digidesign Audio Engine

Playback Engine Dialog

Session File

Audio File

Tracks

Regions (or Loops)

Playlist

Channel

Signal Routing

Signal Routing Example

System Resources

Active and Inactive Items

Display of Inactive Items

Automatic and Manual Inactive Mode

MIDI Concepts

MIDI Terms

Common Misconceptions about MIDI

The Edit Window

The Mix Window

Track Controls

Event Edit Area

Edit Tools

Location Indicators, Grid/Nudge Values, Current Cursor Display

The Transport Window

Basic Transport Controls and Counters

MIDI Controls

Global Key Commands

Track Functions

List and Parameter Selection

Controls and Editing Tools

Keyboard Focus

Numeric Keypad Modes

Transport

Classic

Shuttle

Starting Up Your System

Host and RTAS Processing

DAE Playback Buffer Size

Hardware Setup

Main Page

Creating a New Session

Opening a Session

Choosing Bit Depth and Sample Rate

Opening a Session that Contains Unavailable Items

Saving a Session

Speeding up Saves by Reducing the Disk Cache Size

Revert to Saved Command

Save Session As Command

Saving the Session File

Saving a Copy of the Session

Session Parameters

Items to Copy

Creating Custom Session Templates

Creating Macintosh Templates

Creating Windows Templates

Closing a Session

Preferences

Display Preferences

Operation Preferences

Editing Preferences

Automation Preferences

Processing Preferences

AudioSuite Dither

TC/E

Compatibility Preferences